Manila - The most Beautiful City in Asia 1950's to the mid 1970's

Update: Check out the second set of photos here.

The photos must have been taken in different years, from the mid 1950's to the mid 1960's, judging from the car models (though some cars are pre 1950'd). Where is O'Henry's Coffee and Donut shop in Plaza Sta Cruz (Plaza near Escolta & Reina Regente)?

Can you recognize the cars? Chevy Bel-air 1958, Simca 1961-62s, Toyopet 1960s, VW Beetle 1960's, early 1960's Mercedez Benz 220...

Take note, naka sapatos ang mga tao, walang naka tsinelas kahit sa Avenida. It's clean and the people are very disciplined.

There were no Metro Aides, Bayani Fernando Cleaners, and stores cleaned their areas. Pedestrians were also very disciplined. Very little “hukays” and manholes were clean and were clearly visible to pedestrians. People were so disciplined. Take a look at the Pedxings. The streets were shiny, much like the streets of Singapore now.

LYRIC Theatre (in the photo below), IDEAL, STATE, ODEON were the best theatres. Environment inside and outside...absolutely clean. There were no double parking allowed and drivers followed. Streets didn’t have 2 policemen and 4 Traffic Aides for each corner. You’d be safe even if you held a clutch bag while shopping. Manholes were covered well and during those days, I remember them....as clean and polished, much like those you’d see in Champ Elysee’. We could beat Paris. Ang ganda ng bayan natin noon.

Dencia’s was famous for Pansit Mami, much like Mamonluk or Ricebowl. P1.50 ang Mami, 10 sentimo ang Coca-Cola. 5 centimo ang sarsaparilla. This was very near Villalobos and Carriedo. Look at the jeepneys. They were not overloaded.

Pasig was very clean. The photographer must have taken this photo (below) October to December timeframe. But Pasig, during summer would have beautiful water lilies, tiny Quiapo’s floating amidst white, yellow and purple water lilies that I remember. Water from our rich and abundant rivers were emerald green and blue. Napakalinis and walang amoy

Manila was just a beautiful place.

If you’d take an L5 plane or a Piper Cab and take pictures of Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Boulevard) from above, you’d be so proud to say, that the place is much better than Cote’d Azure. Environment was just so very clean, air was refreshing, and take a look at the sea....wasn’t that a gift given to us during those days?!

Sidewalks were not extended to suit the pedestrians. Quiapo Church was a blessed monument. Nagbibigayan ang mga drivers. Bihira ang nag-gigitgitan.

Avenida Rizal was a threat to everyone. There were no prostitutes nor body-brokers. Avenida was not a fickle place. It was not a “now a bistro boulevard, tomorrow a street; now a tiangge or night market and tomorrow a bistro boulevard”. It was a simple avenida where everyone enjoyed to see what was “now showing”, what movie was “extended showing”, and if Otis or Good Earth had a big sale. It was just a big clean place.

Ayala Avenue was just like Wilshire Boulevard. Clean and no pollution. You can walk and enjoy the sun. Napakalinis. Walang masyadong trash bins pero walang basura sa paligid.

Even Parks like Fort Santiago was much better. No vendors, no cafe’s. There was not even an ATM machine. Malinis ang paligid.

And then, we progressed. We had more technocrats, more intelligent people educated here and....stateside. What did we do to our environment ?

Sayang. We saw a country that was much cleaner, a much better place to live in and a truly healthy place. Will it ever gain back to its former glory?

*Please note, I don't take credit for these photos. Somebody just sent them to me and I felt that it was important that I share it in the hopes that other people will see how beautiful Manila was and hopefully help bring it back to its former glory.*

Update: Here's the second part of my post with more photos of old Manila.

Five-year-old's 911 call saves dad's life

Amazing little girl.

Here's the full call. Audio only.

Vince Carter's Turn For The World Record

Now it's Vince Carter's turn to set the world record for sinking an 86 ft shot while sitting down.

Dwight Howard Sets A World Record

With the flick of his wrist, Dwight Howard immortalizes himself in the Guinness Book of World. He first sank a 42 ft shot while sitting down. Not only that, he went back further and sank another shot at 52 ft!

Six Again

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday.

'I'd like to be six again', she replied, still looking in the mirror .

On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was.

Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside
down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a
chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!

Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.

He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being six again?'

Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.

'I meant my dress size, you retard!!!!'

The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.

Russian-Bar Acrobats

Russian-Bar Acrobatic at the Circus Festival of Monte Carlo. Is it any wonder why the Chinese won the gymnastics at the Olympics?

What Palace would be like if Aquino wins

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

===================
MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Benigno Aquino III on Friday gave a preview of what Malacañang would be like if he became president—a Palace where his running mate Sen. Manuel Roxas would be an active partner in running the government and “pork barrel” would be shared with friend and foe alike, including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who’s running for a seat in Congress.

To jump-start his antigraft drive, he would pursue a "personal ambition" to catch a smuggler or a corrupt official responsible for a substandard infrastructure project within the first two weeks of his presidency.

Interviewed on dzBB radio by news anchor Mike Enriquez, the Liberal Party standard-bearer said his personal goal would be to kick his smoking habit. He also said he had not decided on an altar date with his girlfriend, Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad. (See related story on Page A6.)

To his big business supporters, Aquino’s message: No favors for anyone.

Aquino said Roxas “up to now” had not asked him for a position in government if they won in May.

“We have a partnership, a division of labor, and I will leave it to him to choose not a department but what departments he wants (to) run,” Aquino said. “Six years, that’s not that long and we want to maximize our impact and intervention to reach our ambitions faster.”

Aquino said he was open to getting even those from opposing parties into his Cabinet as long as they shared his views and had the basic qualifications of honesty, integrity, competence and expertise.

“If the best talent will come from them, why not?” he said.

Pork is for all

Asked if he would block any attempt by his allies in the House of Representatives to stop Ms Arroyo’s anticipated bid to become Speaker, Aquino said he would not interfere but admitted he did not like to be in a situation where the Speaker is opposed to Malacañang.

He said he would rather have a co-equal Congress and not Malacañang running the show alone, using its veto powers on the budget.

Aquino said he would not follow Ms Arroyo’s policy of restricting the opposition lawmakers’ access to pork barrel funds.

“If she (Arroyo) wins, she will get the funds allotted for her district based on a menu of national programs and priorities,” he said.

He stressed that the pork barrel funds would be given to all lawmakers as long as the budget deficit was kept below P300 billion this year and the government had funds available.

“When I started out as a congressman, I used to think it (pork barrel) was the source of all evil. But I realized that if you live outside Metro Manila, you will not get any national project in your area if the President or her Cabinet do not pay your area a visit,” he said.

Aquino also said he would continue the Arroyo administration’s conditional cash transfer program whereby the state gives perks to poor parents who make sure their children stay in school. He said he might even increase the subsidy.

He defended his decision to use the political legacy of his parents in his campaign.

“If what they did was wrong, I would not follow their lead. But since I believe that what they did was right, is it wrong to continue the right thing they did?”

Aquino wished the losers in the elections would concede immediately and that there would be a deadline on poll disputes so that bitterness would not linger long after May.

Fighting corruption

If he became president, Aquino said he would probably start weaning himself away from cigarettes, noting that being in the highlight had forced him to abort lighting one several times.

He likes Chinese food, plays billiard (though he does not make bets), and has been passionate about practical shooting since he survived an ambush in 1987 and received death threats.

He was confident corruption could be solved with the existing laws as long the leaders would show they were serious in eradicating it.

“My personal ambition is that within the first week or second week after assuming office, I will be the one who will catch either a substandard infrastructure project or a smuggler … This will demonstrate how serious we are.”

Aquino said he would go after the big fish after sufficient evidence had been established and he would not allow any case to drag on for years.
====================

I don't know, his answers seems to be a bit of a downer. Kick the smoking habit once he becomes President? How about now? What if he doesn't win? He keeps smoking? I know I'm paying too much attention to his smoking. But smoking is an addiction that one has to control and get rid off. If you can't control yourself, how do you control others?

If you're in a long meeting where there is no way you can smoke, how do you concentrate when all you can think of is to get your next fix?

Pork barrel is for all? Shouldn't the DPWH be the one to handle infrastructure projects for the whole country? Aren't there government agencies tasked to handle those programs? Why give it to congressmen and senators who has been shown to use the pork barrel for their own personal gains for the last 30 years.

He should allocate the pork barrel to the various government agencies. The people who work there are the ones who have their ears to the ground and knows exactly what the people need.

Nothing has changed.

His personal ambition is to catch a smuggler or a corrupt politician? Why wait until you're President? Why not now? Why not in the last what? 10 years he's been a senator?

Full interview at the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Anong Problema Sa C-5 Extension?

Here's an info graphic to explain things.

Photo credits to Reinmark De Guzman

Axe Clean Your Balls

If you have dirty balls that need cleaning, check out this very important message from Axe.

Fil-Am Figure Skater Excels in Vancouver Olympics

This is pretty cool.

===================

Amanda Evora, a Filipino-American woman, together with partner Mark Ladwig, competed in the figure skating pairs competition in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

They didn’t win a medal but came up with personal bests in their first ever Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old Filipina who trains in Florida and Ladwig posted a personal best score during the competition.

Their score of 114.06 points, based on difficulty of elements and grades of execution, was their best of the season by more than 15 points. Combined with their personal best in the short program Sunday, their total score of 171.92 points put them in 10th place.

The gold medal went to Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China, who ended a string of dominance by Soviet and Russian skaters dating back to the 1960s. Pang Qing and Tong Jian of China won the silver and Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany the bronze.

Evora is considered to be the first person of full Filipino ancestry to represent the United States in a Winter Olympic games. Her father Vic, who attended the University of the Philippines, was born in Calapan, Mindoro. Her mother, Mary Anne was born in Ilagan, Isabela.

There have been other Winter Olympians with Filipino heritage representing the US such as Tai Babilonia (a two-time Olympian in pairs skating) and Elizabeth Punsalan (a two-time Olympian in ice dancing) but they were only a quarter and half Filipino, respectively.

Evora began skating at the age 6 and said her dream has always been to make it to the Olympics.

Evora, a five-foot, 99-pound figure skater, has been skating with Ladwig since 2002.

Their silver medals at the 2010 US Championships were their first medals earned together. Prior to that, their best finish was 4th at the US Championships, which they accomplished in 2007 and 2009.

===================

Article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Heaven or Hell

While walking down the street one day a Corrupt Philippine Senator was tragically hit by a car and died.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the Filipino people.

They played a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a good time dancing and telling jokes.

They are all having such a good time that before the Senator realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him, "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours passed with the Senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."

The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"

The devil smiles at him and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning... Today, you voted."

Why I live in the Philippines...

When I travel, people often ask me why I live in the Philippines ?
Well here it is..

It is the only place on earth where...

1. Every street has a basketball court.
2. Even doctors, lawyers and engineers are unemployed.
3. Doctors study to become nurses for employment abroad.
4. Students pay more money than they will earn afterwards.
5. School is considered the second home and the mall considered the third.
6. Call-center employees earn more money than teachers and nurses.
7. Everyone has his personal ghost story and superstition.
8. Mountains like Makiling and Banahaw are considered holy places.
9. Everything can be forged!
10. Almost all kinds of animals are edible.

11. Starbucks coffee is more expensive than gas.
12. Driving 4 kms can take as much as four hours.
13. Fly-overs bring you from the freeway to the side streets.
14. Crossing the street involves running for your dear life!
15. The personal computer is mainly used for games and Facebook.
16. Where colonial mentality is dishonestly denied!
17. Where 4 AM is not even considered bedtime yet.
18. People can pay to defy the law.
19. Everything and everyone is spoofed.
20. Where even the poverty-stricken get to wear Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger(fake)!

21. The honking of car horns is a way of life.
22. Being called a bum is never offensive.
23. Floodwaters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during the rainy season.
24. Where everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive.
25. Where wearing your national colors make you baduy.
26. Where even the poverty-stricken have the latest cell phones.(GSM - Galing Sa Magnanakaw)
27. Where insurance does not work.
28. Where water can only be classified as tap and dirty.
29. Clean water is for sale (P35/gallon) .
30. Where the government makes the people pray for miracles(Amen to that!).

31. Where University of the Philippines is where all the weird people go.
32. Ateneo is where all the nerds go.
33. La Salle is where all the Chinese go.
35. University of Asia and the Pacific is where all the irrelevantly rich people go.
36. Fast food is a diet meal.
37. Traffic signs are merely suggestions, not regulations.
38. Where being mugged is normal and it happens to everyone.
39. Rodents are normal house pets.
40.. The definition of traffic is the 'non-movement' of vehicles.

41. Where the fighter planes of the 1940s are used for military engagements and;
42. The new fighter planes are displayed in museums.
43. Where cigarettes and alcohol are a necessity, and where the lottery is a commodity.
44. Where soap operas tell the realities of life and where the news provides the drama.
45. Where actors make the rules and where politicians provide the entertainment.
46. People can get away with stealing trillions of pesos but not a thousand.
47. Where being an hour late is still considered punctual (Grabe talaga 'to!).
48. Where the squatters have more to complain (even if they do not pay their tax) - than those employed and have their tax automatically deducted from their salaries.
49. And where everyone wants to leave the country!

FILIPINO SIGNS OF WIT:

1. The sign in a flower shop in Diliman called Petal Attraction.
2. Anita Bakery.
3. A 24-hour restaurant called Doris Day & Night
4. Barber shop called Felix The Cut;
5. A bakery named Bread Pitt
6. Fast-food place selling 'maruya' (banana fritters) called Maruya Carey.
7. Then, there was Christopher Plumbing.
8. A boutique called The Way We Wear.
10. A restaurant in Cainta district of Rizal called Caintacky Fried Chicken.
11. A local burger restaurant called Mang Donald's.
12. A doughnut shop called MacDonuts.
13. A shop selling 'lumpia' (egg roll) in Makati called Wrap and Roll.
14. And two butcher shops called Meating Place and Meatropolis.

Smart travelers can decipher what may look like baffling signs to unaccustomed foreigners by simply sounding out the 'Taglish' (The Philippine version of English words spelled and pronounced with a heavy Filipino accent)such as:

15. At a restaurant menu in Cebu:"We hab sopdrink in can an in batol" [translation: We have soft drinks in can and in bottle].

16. Then, there is a sewing accessories shop called "Bids And Pises" - [translation: Beads and Pieces--or-- Bits and Pieces]

There are also many signs with either badly chosen or misspelled words but they are usually so entertaining that it would be a mistake to 'correct' them like....

17. In a restaurant in Baguio City ,the 'summer capital' of the Philippines : "Wanted: Boy Waitress"
18. On a highway in Pampanga: "We Make Modern Antique Furniture"
19. On the window of a photography shop in Cabanatuan : "We Shoot You While You Wait!"
20. And on the glass front of a cafe in Panay Avenue in Manila : "Wanted: Waiter, Cashier, Washier".

Some of the notices can even give a wrong impression such as:
21. A shoe store in Pangasinan which has a sign saying: "We Sell Imported Robber Shoes" (these could be the 'sneakiest' sneakers);

22. A rental property sign in Jaro reads: "House For Rent, Fully Furnaced" (it must really be hot inside)!

23. Occasionally, one could come across signs that are truly unique - if not altogether odd. A city in southern Philippines which said: "Adults: 1 peso; Child: 50 centavos; Cadavers: fare subject to negotiation" .

24. European tourists may also be intrigued to discover two competing shops selling hopia (a Chinese pastry) called Holland Hopia and Poland Hopia - which are owned and operated by two local Chinese entrepreneurs, Mr. Ho and Mr. Po respectively - (believe it or not)!

25. Some folks also 'creatively' redesign English to be more efficient. The creative confusion between language and culture leads to more than just simple unintentional errors in syntax,but in the adoption of new words,says reader Robert Goodfellow who came across a sign... "House Fersallarend" (house for sale or rent). Why use five words when two will do?

26. According to Manila businessman, Tonyboy Ongsiako,there is so much wit in the Philippines because we are a country where a good sense of humor is needed to survive. We have a 24-hour comedy show here called the government and a huge reserve of comedians made up mostly of politicians and bad actors.

Now I ask you...where else in the world would one want to live?

Wanderlei Silva's Advice To Kid Who Gets To Date Arianny Celeste To His Prom

Here's a footage of Wanderlei Silva as he tries to teach some Portuguese to Conner Cordova, the kid that is lucky enough to take UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste to his prom.

And in case you don't know who Arianny is, here's a Maxim photoshoot.



And some photos.

 

 

Reply To The Allegations Against The Sandwich Guy

This is the response of The Sandwich Guy to the e-mail blast sent by by Leovic P. Pablo about his experience with the restaurant.

===================
The allegations posted by the complainant in his email blast are false and grossly irresponsible. The fact simply is that the complainant mistook water-soaked ingredients of his sandwich to that which he claims is phlegm.

The ingredients of the country tuna sandwich include cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce, vegetables with high water content. During sandwich preparation, these vegetables may give off some of its water content to something that may be similar to the “colorless liquid” mentioned by the complainant in his email. This has been explained to him from the start.

We vehemently deny in the strongest possible terms insinuations that misdeed ever attended the preparation of our sandwiches. Our crew has never admitted to any wrongdoing and we find no motive whatsoever for any of them to carry out any misdeed as alleged. Our crew has been trained to uphold and maintain the store’s strict sanitary guidelines and etiquette in food preparation.

These twists and omissions of fact as well as the very detailed and graphic narration of the supposed ordeal are really intended to sway public support in his favor and unfairly expose The Sandwich Guy to “trial by internet publicity”.

We reserve the right to redeem and vindicate our company’s name by filing the necessary criminal and civil suits against those who, with malicious intent, aim to misrepresent the facts, malign the integrity of our crew and besmirch the reputation of our store. All branches of The Sandwich Guy have an OPEN KITCHEN that affords customers full and complete view of the preparation of their sandwich from start to finish. Everybody is welcome to solicitously observe the standards we have in place for food preparation and handling and see that it is highly improbable that any of our crew can do such a misdeed without being noticed by customers, the store supervisor or other members of the crew.

Rest assured of our store’s guarantee for fresh and healthy food which it has been serving since October 2009. We however ask the public to continually support our store and protect small companies like ours from irresponsible statements and unfounded allegations spread on the internet intended to diminish the public’s enjoyment of our products, as well as destroy the livelihood of those who depend on our store for work.

In the interest of fair play, we respectfully ask you to forward this reply to those who may have similarly received the complainant’s email. Should you have any comments, you may post them on our Facebook Page. Thank you for your support.

THE SANDWICH GUY
Eastwood Branch
===================

See what I mean about denying liability? I'm not saying Leovic is right nor am I condemning The Sandwich Guy. For all I know, The Sandwich Guy could be right and Leovic was just over reacting.

I didn't even know that tomatoes and cucumber can create "clear liquid" that looks like phlegm. I'm sure people can differentiate what phlegm looks like and juices from tomatoes and cucumber when they come in contact with warm food.

But like I said, unless you have evidence showing your claim, it would be pretty hard to fight against these companies. First of all, where do you get the money to defend yourself against a criminal and civil suit?

Who's right or wrong in this incident? I have no idea, but both parties are losers in the end. The Sandwich Guy for not resolving this incident in the most amicable way as some people will definitely avoid eating at their restaurant and Leovic for having to defend himself in a lawsuit.

Sandwich Guy (Libis) Incident

Got this from an e-mail. I wonder if this is true. Can anybody confirm?

This e-mail was sent by Mr. Leovic P. Pablo, an IBMer, to their HR after his horrible experience in The Sandwich Guy.

===================
Dear HR,

I shouldn't have brought this up to the management, but I think, with the current situation I am faced with, this incident compelled me to report this to you and so I could use some help. I am also writing this to let my fellow IBMers know about this stomach turning incident which will hopefully open their eyes before buying or eating somewhere.

On January 5th, between 7:30 to 9 AM. I had a gruesome incident with one of the stores here in Eastwood. The name of the store is the Sandwich Guy. It is a small kiosk located here in Eastwood under the tower clock in front of the 7-eleven store. We used to buy lunch from there and get large orders as they serve healthy sandwiches, pasta and drinks. Until that morning, when I discovered something.

On my way home from work, I decided to grab a sandwich for my breakfast so I bought a sandwich from this store. As usual, I went to the store and ordered the country tuna sandwich and a bottle of mineral water. The cashier was courteous and very accommodating though I sense that she is getting ready to go home because it is time to turnover the shift. I notice too that the number of the crews in the store at that time is more than the usual 3 to 4 employees I usually see. So they prepared my country tuna. They put on the spread, grilled the bread, sliced it and wrapped in a paper. Instead of the cashier presenting the order, One crew from the back took the package and presented the order to me saying "Here is your Country Tuna Sir! Enjoy!". Honestly, I was a bit surprised with the unusual greetings but I never minded it so I responded back with a thank you.

So I went out from the store and walk some steps and rode a cab. Hungry I was, I munched into the sandwich which was sliced fairly and savor the tuna and some green leaves between the warm wheat bread. I consumed the first half of it but still my appetite still wants to finish everything. And so I turned on the other side of the sandwich, unwrapped it and started to bit the next half of the bread. I noticed a colorless, liquefied matter on top of the veggies. I
thought that it was melted cheese or mayonnaise! It appeared luscious so in the middle of my chomping I slurped it! At that very moment, I got my self teary eyed, I felt my stomach flipped and ended throwing up that bite. It was a foul phlegm of a human. Horrible! ulk!

I immediately asked the cab driver to drive me back to Eastwood and so he did. I entered the store again, this time not nice though still composed as I don't want them to think that I am a uneducated person. I insistently asked the question. " Sino ang nagprepare ng sandwich ko?". The crew who I remembered presented the sandwich to me replied "ano yun sir?! hindi ko po maalala!". With the looks of him, he cant seem to remember that I just ordered the sandwich 30 minutes ago. So I helped them through by stating the obvious that I just ordered the sandwich a few minutes ago. The other lady was bright enough to remember. She pointed at that crew and said "Yung country tuna! yung ginawa mo!". So I knew that it was him "Alloys" who initially presented the order, and the same person who could not remember the order. This time, I directed the question to him."Plema mo ba tong nasa sandwich ko?". And there was silence inside the store but no one is brave enough to answer the question. I repeated the question intensely as I am frustrated, irritated and angry. All I need is an honest response which I have failed to get. No one seemed to answer and prove that I was wrong.

The manager butt in and mediated. He explained that there is a video that we could see and that everything is captured to check if it really was his crew who put that phlegm in the bread. He immediately phoned the owner. He went back to me and said that the video should be ready with in 24 hours as they need a request for it to be released and processed. Imagine how the manager handled the situation poorly. He even admitted that the phlegm I found could be a fault of their commissary as they have also had similar incidents where they found staple wires and strings on their products. The days passed and no video was presented up to this day. Please note that I did not request to view the store video; they made the offer to show the video to me to prove their crew member's innocence.

I gave them the sandwich and the receipt trusting.

On January 7th, I was invited by the owner and talked with him and his lawyer who offered to settle the matter amicably. I was with my brother during the time of confrontation gladly as I was not prepared to be intimidated by the lawyer. All I wanted was for them to take responsibility, bring out the truth and talk to the crew. They have told us that they will take this issue seriously and that they will revert back with the result of their investigation and that we will see the video on January 14th. They offered to have the bread undergo DNA testing which we were surprised to say if they are willing to do that. They say it will take few months and that the samples needed to be sent to Australia and Canada. I left the bread and the receipt on their custody as I am trusting them to resolve the issue and will adhere on the truth. The crew, Alloys said his apologies in front of us at the end of the conversation and asked to forgive him of the things he had done. We also proved that the store does not have sanitary permit.

On January 14th, the lawyer called me and my lawyer and told us that the DNA testing was done and that they have found no evidence of the saliva from their crews and that I have no basis for my claim. My lawyer who is my sister-in-law was surprised with the investigation as previously they had stated that it would take months for the DNA results to come back. Afterwards she said to schedule another time to meet up. The lawyer responded back with intimidation questioning matters immaterial to the case. Some questions were:

a) Is my lawyer capable of handling private matters knowing that she is only a government employee?
b) Is she really married? (fyi- she just recently got married so the change name has not been processed yet)

These questions are immaterial to the case and that the intimidation would not work. More so, I am concerned with how the store is handling the situation. I am afraid that action should be taken and that attention should be given for them to respond truthfully and honestly for the welfare of the consumer. We are a thousand employees here in IBM and there are also other people who are buying food from their store. If this incident was not handled properly how much more the management of their crews, and how are they preparing our food. This poses a big concern and I would like your help to achieve the result of the investigation and to warn the employees. I decided not to pursue meetings with them as I do not know if they are truthful to their words with the harshness of words and intimidation they are showing opposite of what they said to settle this amicably. I don't think they are putting action to my complaint.

Further: it would perhaps have been more "acceptable" if I found human hair on my sandwich, or found the tuna /any of the sandwich ingredients to be spoiled. There was phlegm spat on my sandwich - that to me is not a matter of gross negligence, it was a deliberate insult to myself as a paying customer of their store.

My intention of airing this grievance is not to blackmail the store into paying me some amount of money; my intention is for them to

a) admit to their mistake and
b) put policies/practices in place that will prevent such an occurrence from happening to someone else in the future.

Hope you would consider this note.

Company Details:

Name: The Sandwich Guy
Owner/Franchisee: Mike Pangan
Lawyer: Atty. Pangan
Store Manager: Ernesto "June' Pangan Jr.

Address: Food for Fun City Walk 1 Eastwood City
E.Rodriguez, Jr. Avenue, Bagumbayan, Libis QC
1110
===================

Whether this story is true or not, it does exemplify the typical response of business owners in the Philippines. Their first response is to deny everything. Sometimes, even if it's really obvious, they'll go to great lengths to deny any liability.

For one, they want to get a DNA test! Really!? For a sandwich? Nobody died! Do you know how much a DNA test costs? And to whom were they going to test the DNA with? Every crew working there? That would probably cost them over P10,000 for that test. Not even counting sending it to Australia. Who are they kidding?

They could have just admitted that they made a mistake, apologize to the person and pay the person if that's what the person wanted. Since they have a lawyer there anyway, get the person to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of the settlement if they really wanted to keep it quiet.

Now, if they really are responsible people. They would have apologized and did their part showing they have improved their systems to make sure something like this never happens again.

With regards to the person doing the complaint. He could have done several things. After going back to complain, she should have asked for an immediate investigation. Since the manager admitted they have video surveillance cameras, he should have insisted it be reviewed immediately and not 24 hours later.

There is no need for it to be released and processed. Ano yan? Film? Get it there within the hour or you will call the police. Simple lang diba?

Second, take a photo of the evidence. Always, always take photos of your evidence. Everybody has a cellphone camera anyway, why not take a photo or a video of the sandwich? Take a video or photo of all your conversation for your evidence.

Third, never give your receipt back. That's your evidence that you bought the sandwich. The company has a copy of the receipt, they don't need it back. How else are they going to file taxes if they don't have a copy of your receipt? If they don't, isn't that another violation of the law?

In any case, one can learn several things from this incident. As a business owner, saying a quick apology would have avoided bad publicity such as this e-mail circulating about your company. I admit, I added to this bad publicity just because I'm sick and tired of abusive and insensitive business owners just like what happened to us at Goldilock's in Vancouver a couple of years ago.

Also, lesson for anyone making a complaint, document everything. You have to keep a level mind and keep your emotion in check. Make sure you have all the evidence to back up your claim so it can't come back saying that you did it to make them look bad.

Foreign demand for Teasury securities falls

From Yahoo Finance.

==================
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government said Tuesday that foreign demand for U.S. Treasury securities fell by the largest amount on record in December with China reducing its holdings by $34.2 billion.

The reductions in holdings, if they continue, could force the government to make higher interest payments at a time that it is running record federal deficits.

The Treasury Department reported that foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities fell by $53 billion in December, surpassing the previous record of a $44.5 billion drop in April 2009.

The big drop in China's holdings meant that it lost the top spot in terms of foreign ownership of U.S. Treasuries, dropping to second place behind Japan.

Japan also reduced its holdings of U.S. Treasuries, cutting them by $11.5 billion to $768.8 billion in December, but that amount was still more than China's December total of $755.4 billion.

The $53 billion decline in holdings of Treasury securities came primarily from a drop in official government holdings, which fell by $52.3 billion. The holdings of foreign private investors fell by $700 million during the month of December.
==================

Seems like other countries are starting to lose faith in the US Dollar. Could this be the start of the run from US Dollar and the dominance of the US Dollar as the reserve currency?

Full story at Yahoo Finance.

Windows Phone 7 Series Hands-on

Here's the new Windows Phone 7 Series OS hand-on from Engadget. Expected to be released late 2010. The OS is based on the Zune OS. It looks great, but will this finally be the iPhone killer for Microsoft?

Be careful what you say to your wife

My wife and I went to the state fair and one of the first exhibits we stopped at was the breeding bulls.

We went up to the first pen and there was a sign attached that said,
'THIS BULL MATED 50 TIMES LAST YEAR'

My wife playfully nudged me in the ribs ...Smiled and said,
'He mated 50 times last year.'

We walked to the second pen which had a sign attached that said,
'THIS BULL MATED 150 TIMES LAST YEAR'

My wife gave me a healthy jab and said,
'WOW! That's more than twice a week! You could learn a lot from him.'

We walked to the third pen and it had a sign attached that said, in capital letters, 'THIS BULL MATED 365 TIMES LAST YEAR'

My wife was so excited that her elbow nearly broke my ribs, and said, 'That's once a day. You could REALLY learn something from this one.'

I looked at her and said, 'Go over and ask him if it was with the same old cow every time...'

...

...

...

My condition has been upgraded from critical to stable, and I should eventually make a full recovery.

Funny Free Throw Shot

Brady Morningstar slips his free throw shot.

An Explanation of Life Spans

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"

So God agreed...

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"

And God agreed...

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"

And God agreed again...

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."

But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God. "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.

Megan Fox Strips Down

Megan Fox is the new face of Emporio Armani underwear 2010. What did you think I meant with the title?

8 Year Old Sets Bench Press World Record

Andrew Hedrich, an 8 year old kid recently set the world-record for bench press with the Raw Powerlifting Federation, at a competition in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

He hoisted 57 ½ pounds. If you're not impressed by that, consider that he weighs just 54 pounds. He broke the record for his weight and age class.

Google Buzz

Interesting new service from Google called Google Buzz. It's like Friendfeed on your Gmail.

They're finding more and more ways for us to be connected all the time. It makes it hard not to know what your friend are doing anymore. :)

A woman was in town on a shopping trip

A woman was in town on a shopping trip. She began her day finding the most perfect shoes in the first shop and a beautiful dress on sale in the second.

In the third, everything had just been reduced by 50 percent when her mobile phone rang. It was a female doctor notifying her that her husband had just been in a terrible car accident and was in critical condition and in the ICU.

The woman told the doctor to inform her husband where she was and that she'd be there as soon as possible. As she hung up she realized she was leaving what was shaping up to be her best day ever in the boutiques. She decided to get in a couple of more shops before heading to the hospital.

She ended up shopping the rest of the morning, finishing her trip with a cup of coffee and a beautiful chocolate cake slice, compliments of the last shop. She was jubilant.

Then she remembered her husband. Feeling guilty, she dashed to the hospital.

She saw the doctor in the corridor and asked about her husband’s condition.
The lady doctor glared at her and shouted, 'You went ahead and finished your shopping trip didn’t you! I hope you’re proud of yourself! While you were out for the past four hours enjoying yourself in town, your husband has been languishing in the Intensive Care Unit! It's just as well you went ahead and finished, because it will more than likely be the last shopping trip you ever take! For the rest of his life he will require round-the-clock care. And he will now be your career!'

The woman broke down and sobbed.

The lady doctor then chuckled and said, 'I’m just pulling your leg. He’s dead. Show me what you bought.'

Side by side?

Mind numbing.

Klann Linkage LEGO Spider v1.0

Cool Lego project.

Now it’s green urinals for the ladies

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

===================
MANILA, Philippines--Three public toilets are now open 24 hours daily along the Edsa strip for female commuters and pedestrians.


Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Oscar Inocentes led agency officials at the “soft opening” of the new structures Friday.


One urinal is located underneath the Edsa-Ortigas flyover while two toilets adjacent to each other are near the Quezon Avenue station of Metro Rail Transit and a provincial bus stop at the intersection of Quezon Avenue and Edsa.


Painted apple green, the urinals are not quite like the pink urinals for males installed during the time of MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando.


With a floor area of 3x5 feet, the cubicles have concrete walls and green translucent roofs to allow the entry of natural light during the day.


Inocentes said the toilet can accommodate only one person to prevent robbers and criminal elements from preying on women.


Each urinal has a wash sink, a trash can, and a white bowl with a flush that automatically drains off urine through a sensor, eliminating the need for water.


Inocentes said the urinals designed by a woman engineer will be of big help to women commuters and pedestrians.


The MMDA will solicit public comments on the new installations in 15 days before discussing plans to put up more.


Inocentes assured the women that the toilets would not stink since he assigned workers to maintain these round-the-clock.


Each urinal cost P20,000 to build, almost half the amount spent on one of Fernando’s pink structures.


“This is a boon for women especially for those always on the go,” said Rose Imperial of the Rotary Club of Loyola Heights. “We have been neglected by so many kinds of programs. But this very basic necessity is something we really need.”
===================

What caught my attention was the line that says "Each urinal cost P20,000 to build, almost half the amount spent on one of Fernando's pink structures.

Half!?! If they can build that for half the price, where did Fernando spend the other half?

Winnie Monsod Explains C-5 Road Extension Unnecessary But Benefited Manny Villar

Here's a video of Winnie Monsod explaining the C-5 Extension which is the controversy surrounding Manny Villar.

Banker Looking At Nude Photos in Background - Seven News Update

During a news interview with Macquarie bank and with the bank's trading desk in the background. A worker was caught looking at scantily clad photos of women on his computer. In case you're wondering who the girl in the photo is, it's Miranda Kerr

Watch the video.

The banker is Macquiarie's client investment manager David Kiely. Apparently, he was sent an e-mail with those photos as attachment and may have been a practical joke gone wrong. The bank is investigating him and he is currently on leave.

There is an Internet campaign to save his job.

Here's the link.

Idiot Cuts Electric Cord With Scissors

It was quiet in the office till the cleaning lady showed up. This winner uses scissors to silence her... He doesn't hear much now.

Paper beat rocks, scissors beat paper, electricity beat scissors!

Richard Gordon Commercial

Sen. Richard Gordon. My only question is, is it a conflict of interest to use the Red Cross for his political agenda?

Gilbert Teodoro: Galing at Talino

Gibo's slogan, Galing at Talino.

Gilbert Gibo Teodoro TV Ad - Sulong Gibo

Different approach in Gibo's message.

Senator Noynoy Aquino's Latest TVC

Rapper President?

Noynoy Aquino TVC - Kurapsyon ang Problema, Kahirapan ang Resulta

I'm not for Noynoy or any candidates...yet. Just want to share each candidates platform/message as I find them.

Lab The Size Of a Postage Stamp

Interesting talk by George Whitesides on a foolproof tool for disease diagnosis at virtually zero cost.

Leandro Barbosa Joins The Na’vi People

Misleading Claims

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

===================
Last week the Arroyo administration began placing full-page and double-spread colored advertisements touting its achievements in the economy, social development, infrastructure, jobs, agriculture, energy and digital infrastructure.


The big ads must be costing taxpayers a considerable amount of money. (A colored double spread costs about P660,000.) Not content with this, Conrado Limcaoco, head of the Philippine Information Agency, urged other government offices to bear part of the burden of placing ads highlighting the “legacy” of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.


It is curious that the Arroyo administration is now advertising its claimed achievements in its “last two minutes.” It looks like it is a propaganda effort for Ms Arroyo who is running for representative of the second district of Pampanga, and for the administration’s presidential candidate, Gilberto Teodoro. There is no attempt to conceal the not-so-subliminal ploy to highlight Teodoro’s initials GT in the heads—“Ganito Tayo Noon-Ganito Tayo Ngayon.”
===================

Why the hell do these politicians always feel the need to advertise what they do? Like putting up a bus shed or basketball court and saying it was the project of the mayor or congressman? What the hell is up with that? It's not their project. It's not their money. It's the people's money. My name should be up there for cripes sake.

Stupid politicians, stop wasting our money!

Ganito Ka Rin Ba Mag-English?

Nahilo ako.

Same Sex Marriage

Fred and Larry got married in California.

They couldn't afford a honeymoon so, they go back to Fred's Mom and Dad's house for their first married night together.

In the morning, Johnny, Fred's little brother, gets up and has his breakfast.

As he is going out of the door to go to school, he asks his mom if Fred and Larry are up yet. She replies, 'No'.
Johnny asks, 'Do you know what I think?'
His mom replies, 'I don't want to hear what you think! Just go to school.'

Johnny comes home for lunch and asks his mom, 'Are Fred and Larry up yet?'
She replies, 'No.'
Johnny says, 'Do you know what I think?'
His mom replies, 'Never mind what you think!
Eat your lunch and go back to school '

After school, Johnny comes home and asks again, 'Are Fred and Larry up yet?'
His mom says, 'No.'
He asks, 'Do you know what I think?'
His mom replies, 'OK, now tell me what you think.'
He says: 'Last night Fred came to my room for the Vaseline and I think......
.....I gave him my airplane glue.'

The Zen of Sarcasm

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them..

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving
.
20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

AND FINALLY:

22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

The New Lara Croft

Meet Alison Caroll, the new Lara Croft. She's a 23 year old gymnast and a former receptionist. She has been chosen to play Lara Croft at promotional events and trade shows. I think she's the best Lara Croft yet.

Watch her gymnastic moves.

Oh yeah, and uhm... this photo.

iPad Keynote in less than 180 Seconds: Incredible, Beautiful, Amazing!

Mad TV iPad