Adobo Identity at Kulturang Pinoy

I love cooking Adobo. I don't mind that it fills the house with its scent, how it stubbornly clings to my clothes. The scent somehow find its way to some part of my brain and tricks it into thinking that I'm just in Manila. It makes me feel that my parents and siblings is just in the other room watching TV. It comforts me that way.

Everybody has their own recipe for Adobo. Different meats, different parts and different ratios of ingridients. My "Ate Karori" likes using chicken wings not much vinegar. My wife uses lots of vinegar. My adobo always uses lily flower (dahon ng saging ?), bay leaves, garlic, ground pepper and almost exclusively chicken thigh.

My mom is the only person I know who successfully jazzed up adobo. She uses pork (liempo) and hibi (small dried shrimps) with sesame oil, she usually cooks for my grandmother on sundays. It's a knockout dish.

Inspired by Ma, I will be embarking on jazzing up my own Adobo Identity. Yesterday I tried using red wine vinegar instead of white. Had I have short term memory disorder, I wouldn't have recognized it as my own cooking. Next on my list would be to experiment with different meats, soy sauce.

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Minsan ay kailangan mong lumayo para makita at maintindihan ang kabuohang anyo at pulso ng ating kultura. Natatandaan ko nuong ako'y nasa Maynila pa, hindi ko binibigyang pansin at halaga ang ating tradisyonal na okasyon gaya ng Flores de Mayo, Mahal na Araw, kapaskuhan, bagong taon at ang mga katangi-tanging Pista sa kani-kaniyang siyudad/kabayanan/probinsya.

Gawa na siguro nang malakas impluwensya ng mga bayan sa kanlurang bahagi ng mundo, ang ingles na linguahe bilang behikulo sa ating edukasyon. At ang mas malawakang pag gamit ng ingles sa pahayagan, radyo at telebisyon. Gawa ng mga nabanggit, mas pinupuna ko ang kulturang ibayo, kulturang hindi atin.

Magaling kasing mag hikayat ang kanluran, karamihan sa atin any napa-paniwala nila na mas maganda, makulay at masaya ang kanilang kultura at pamumuhay.

Tayo ay natatakam sa kanilang prutas gaya ng peaches, pears, plums, nectarin, cherries. Kinakailangan pang dumayo sa Ongpin o sa supermarket para makabili ng (napaka-mamahal) mga nasabing prutas.

Tayo'y nabibighani sa kulay ng kanilang buhok na kakulay ng araw, mga nagta-tangus-ang mga ilong at maninipis na labi.

Mahigit kumulang isang taon na akong nagtratrabaho, nakikihalubilo, nakikibagay at nakikiisa dito sa New Zealand. Aming nasaksihan ang iba't ibang paraan na pagbigay buhay sa kanilang kasaysayan. Nariyan ang kanilang Guy Fawkes day, Queens Birthday at Parada ng kanilang siyudad.

Ang mga sumusunod ay aking mga personal na opinyon. Sana ay hindi bansagang marahas ang aking pananaw.

Kung aking ikukumpara ang kanilang Guy Fawkes day at ang ating Bagong taon, Pista ng Nazareno sa Parada nila dito eh hindi ko maiwasang bitiwan ang salitang "Malabnaw". Hindi ko maituro kung alin o bakit, pero meroong nagkulang. Sabi nga sa alak eh parang nagkulang sa sipa.

Oo, hindi ko ikakaila na "lubhang" mas mataas na antas ng pamumuhay, mas maayos na serbisyo at pagpapatakbo mula gobyreno, at ang mga inprastrakturang iyong maa-asahan. Pero hindi ito ang pakay nang aking sanaysay.

Ako'y magiging tapat sa sarile, sa aking panlasa eh walang nang tatalo sa sarap at tamis ng ating pambansang prutas. Ang Mangga (bow). Ang kanilang alimango dito ay malaki nang bahagya lamang sa alimasag. Kulang sa tamis ang kanyang kalamnan.

Hindi ko rin ikakaila na mas gusto ko ang mga ka-isdaan nila dito. Mas gusto ko rin ang klima at kalinisan ng hangin dito. Ang mga kabataan dito ay magalang at matulungin, tila wala silang tukso ukol sa kaanyuhan ng kapwa (payat, mataba at kapansanan).

Karamihan sa kanila ay matatangkad ngunit ang uri ng kanilang buhok ay manipis, mukhang marupok at parang lanta. Ang atin nama'y puno nang sigla, makintab na tila'y bumagabay sa ating pala-ngiting pananaw sa buhay.

Kid Sablay: Mabuhay ang mga pango !
Kid Sablay: Mabuhay makakapal ang labi !
Kid Sablay: Mabuhay ang mga tadtad ng tigyawat (taghiyawat) !
Kid Sablay: Mabu...
Senorito : Konting katahimikaaaan !! (Sabay hampas ng kamay sa hapag )

Sa Susunod na kabanata: Baluktot na pananaw

Political ethics

NZ's political news


An MP helped a thai immigrant applicant on his NZ work visa in exchange of cheaper house renovation rates (re-tiling). Same MP Pocketing of 100 NZD worth of donations.

Miss Clark said it would be hard for Mr Field to continue in the job.

"It's very hard to come back from something like that because the degree of public humiliation has been pretty high," she said.

100NZD... that's not even 5000php ! Yet he's pressured to resign out of "shame".

In the Philippines:

Mass demonstration in Ayala avenue calling for the President elect to step down. People in the demonstration includes former President Corazon Aquino and some senatorial figures. I don't think PGMA would resign even if Jesus, Buddha and Allah joined the demonstration/s.

I hope that my other absurd political prediction doesn't come true. Senator Jimmy Santos.

Nobody quantifies "love" like him... not even William Shakespeare. Tell me who can beat this phrase ? "I LOVE YOU 3x a DAY".

Former action star Senator Lapid made senator, will there be a Sen. Manny Pacquiao in 15-20 years time ? Time and collective maturity will tell.

Google Earth

Last week, two of my colleague were discussing about some 'bakasyon' spots here in NZ, specifically natural springs. Went over and I saw them using google earth (11mb). It was almost 5 pm and I wasn't busy.

As soon as I got back to my workstation I downloaded me a copy. Initially had trouble with some network settings but I got it to work after some minor fiddling.

Now that it's up and running... where to go ?? As I entered 'Manila' in its search box the earth's image so elegantly turned to the Philippines, drilled down to Luzon. I could see Laguna bay and finally Manila. Google presented me with a 900 ft above the ground (ofcourse) view of Manila. After a couple of minutes of staring at the view I could already identify the streets and some familiar edifices.

What I didn't expect was the sudden rush of homesickness. Goddamnit... I missed Manila, I missed Quiapo. I had to fight the tears off of my eyes (talaga). And after I regained some level of composure I began to search for my 'hood'. I could've sworn that I saw 'budoy' and 'bruce lee' peddling stolen fire extinguishers pa rin.. mga tol tigilan nyo na yan !! Mas malaki ang kita ng nakaw na cellphones tol. :^P

I distinctly remember 1 year ago that I was cursing Manila. I was sick and tired of the hot and humid weather, the painful commutes and the 'get comfy with fellow passengers' MRT blues. I'd usually tell myself that If I was to get out of this 'dump', I won't be looking back.. NEVAAAH (never), and a big Adios to Quiapo/Divisoria as well.

Barely a year away and my tune have changed. I eagerly marked the ayala bridge, Legarda (Nepumoceno na ngayon), some universities in recto and the historically significant plaza Miranda.

Some recollection of my usual weekend activities... Me and my siblings mall-scapades and trips to cartimar (pasay) fish shops. Ongpin food tripping with my wife and grocery shopping with me Mum (Happy 60th bday!). I still know Manila's ins and outs.

Logic, reason and a leaking washing machine got a hold of me before I booked a flight back to my Manila.

Sabi ni konsensya: "Umuwi ka na at maglaba !"

I just got here, madaming gastusin pa at marami pang dapat na iintindihin at asikasuhin. Saka na siguro.... best not to download and install google earth at home muna.

Mahal din ang fares 1.2-1.8k NZD, Ibenta ko kaya yung isang gitara ko ? :)
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Removed

To kid or Not to kid.

The title should be "To have kid/s or not to have kid/s" but I reckon it’s too long and it doesn’t have a Jimmy-Santos ring to it. :)

Three years ago (Pre-wedding), me and Ms. (then) Sass were talking about whether or not we should have kid/s. This is because her super-uber-bestfriend (hi!) point of view of not having any. She being both smart and intelligent have a strong influence on the wifey (reads US).

Her reasons were:

1. With no kids there would obviously be less stress,

2. Quality time as a couple

3. better financial advantage, the two of them would be able to earn or work full time

4. Because of #3 they would be able to afford whatever they fancy be it : travel, bitchin ride (car)…

I consulted with my Mom as well. She said “It’s OK not to have kids… I would understand. But you see after a while it gets boring… “

My opinion, is that the mentioned reasons holds better validity “in” the pinas.

A couple will definitely find themselves in 3 scenarios: 2 individual’s successful in their respective business/profession, Only 1 would be successful, or both would be struggling.

Let’s assume that a couple are successful individuals in the Pinas.

With kids in the Pinas

If we were to assume that a couple were both professionals their take home pay (after tax) less rent and other necessities. A HUGE portion of their “net” income would definitely be allocated under tuition fee’s.

Besides the cost, another factor would be the varying quality of education and the opportunity that it presents. After graduation/Job hunting you actually begin to realize the (dis)advantage of the perceived University ‘prestige’ by the outside world. Companies more-often-than-not prefers graduates from the Top 4 universities (5 if you include Mapua).

Without kids in the Pinas

Owning a house is possible. Getting a car, definitely. Financial mobility in one form or another.

OUTSIDE the pinas

I will be using New Zealand as basis of “outside” the pinas. I reckon (naks kiwing-kiwi), the reasons for not having kids (not to kid) :) as mentioned above would have a lesser impact both lifestyle/financial-wise.

Cost of living

NZ, depending on your income bracket/number of kids, aides you financially.

http://www.workingforfamilies.govt.nz/family-assistance/

http://www.workingforfamilies.govt.nz/income-gains/index.html#familyincome

Basically, the lower your income and the more kids that you have the more that you will get from the govt. Sure it might not be much but it would be ENOUGH. Even if you find yourself Jobless you still get govt aide and you would definitely be able to feed and put a roof over your love ones head.

Education

Cost of education is almost negligible. Your kid/s will have the same or comparable education with higher income families.

Your kid/s success is independent of the parents.

Simple as that statement may sound but the implications are monstrous- monstrous. Personally, that’s one pressure I can live without.

If your kid decides to go to “University” he/she can arrange to borrow from the government and pay it back when he/she is working. It teaches them accountability early on as well.

In the pinas, I see kids (well off or not) goof-around and waste tuition money. Simply because parents paid for education and unaware on how difficult it is earning money. There probably will be computer science students having the ‘latest’ cellphones but not have computers at home. Talk about priority. :) Una porma saka na yung iba.

Another thing worth noting is having a NZ University degree is recognized in all commonwealth countries. That means a broader opportunity and a definite global advantage. Being a skilled migrant and educated in the pinas, I feel that we need to considerably “bring” more, for them to consider us as equals.

Intangibles

I’m not saying that the choice of not having a kid is “wrong”. It does have it’s merit and definitely some strong points. It’s just that for us, having raya was the “right” choice.

My wife has been sending me videos of My parents playing with raya. I’ve seen how happy my mom was playing with her first apo… how can I quantify that ? :)

Seeing my baby being able to turn on her own is priceless as well… I was shouting in my room when I saw the video.

They say the worst part of having a kid is in the first 3 months of birth. I’ve been with my Raya for the first 2.5 and frankly I cherished those moments. Waking up 1-3am, cleaning poopster/heating mommies milk and afterwards humming so she’d go back to sleep.

Parallel Universe

Do you remember the superman cartoons ? remember bizzaro ? The chiseled faced superman who lives in the parallel universe (Htrae) where everybody are distorted copies of Clark kent and Lois lane. Yung merong baligtad na “S” sa dibdib. Instead of being vulnerable green kryptonite they are weak around blue krypton matters.

http://theages.superman.ws/Encyclopaedia/bizarro.php

I feel like I'm in a parallel universe here in wellington. Maraming bagay na sa aking palagay ay baligtad ang dating. Let me break it down:

In the Philippines the pecking order is as follows :

Politicians - We, the taxable people of the republic, have been sustaining the incredible/excessive lifestyles of our politician. Wala tayong laban bago dumating ang sweldo sa ating mga kamay eh awas na.

Businessmen - People who have the smarts at the right time. People who know people in government.

IT people - They make good money pero parang kulang pa rin.

Nurses – they make slightly higher than minimum wage

Government Employees – Probably slightly lower than nurses.

Mekaniko - Grease monkeys.... ang pangtanggal nila ng grasa eh 1 litrong gas. Pang hilom ng maliliit na sugat eh brake fluid. I've worked for my uncles auto supply in banawe and my sugat's have been properly treated with STP.

Tubero - Guys who sit and wait in the ongpin bridge hoping that somebody's shit/turd is hard enough to clog the damn toilet. If its a lucky day then they earn at most Php 150/day. (Tirso Cruz “the Turd” matinee idol ng bayan)

Culture and Lifestyle sa pinas: People in general prefer to buy brand new cars. We only see japanese cars Toyota, Nissan, Mistubishi and Honda's. We like to celebrate Christmas, Valentines (Balentayms). Fiesta's here fiesta's there. Madami sa atin ang merong maid buhay senorito at senorita merong taga laba at plantsa, taga luto, hugas at ligpit ng pinagkainan. Afford din natin ang full time Yaya's.

In wellington, the pecking order is :

Top Govt post – Sure they make good money... tama lang siguro para hindi ma prone sa corruption.

Tubero – They charge 65nzd/hour.

Mekaniko – They charge around 50/hr.

Nurses – I've several nurse friends here. Sila yung bumubuhay sa asawa nilang Doctor.

IT – They make approx. NZD 55k ++ annually compute mo per hour talo pa sa tubero.

Dito 2^nd hand cars naman ang patok particularly the japanese/european imports. Citroen, Peugeot, Subaru, Saab, Alfa Romeo's, BMW's , Audi and Holden's. Nakakahilo nagmistulan akong taong bundok na ngayon lang nakakita nang ganung mga auto. Some Japanese model cars are unheard of din sa pinas Nissan Camino, skylines. Toyota Cavalier. Honda Legacy. Dito yung mga WRX engines ang pinag uusapan sa pinas 4BA1, 4DR1 Yung mga makina ng jeep mostly Isuzu's.

Back in the pinas it would probably take me 2-3 more years before I can save up for a decent 2^nd hand car. It took me 3 months here, hopefully its decent. It's my first car btw.

Sa Pinas kung mag electric fan tayo dala-dalawa kapag hindi kaya ang init eh magbubuks ng aircon. Dito oil heaters ang binubuksan paano kasi ang ang temperature sa bahay eh parang centralized aircon na nasira yung “OFF” button.

DSL connections are considered as a luxury sa pinas (atleast sa family namin ) mostly dial up lang masaya na. Dito majority uses broadband some use dial-up access pa rin.

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I attended our tuesday buddhist meeting last February 14 and was assigned to do 'door duty'. Ofcourse being pinoy I've greeted the bodhisattva's a warm “Happy Valentines” on their way inside the centre (naks kiwi spelling). Most of them blushed lang when I greeted them, some even forgot that it was 214. I was surprised when a islander (maori,samoan,fiji ?) girl ran up to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek (promise sa cheek lang!). That was my first kiss sa NZ, First kiss sa 2006.

Pinoy syndrome X

One thing that occured to me the other day was when we saw Robin Padilla's "la visa loca" was we as Filipino's regard some things as praiseworthy attributes. I will refer to this character flaw as Pinoy Syndrome X. Let me make it clearer by citing some popular quotes from movies and songs.

"Kahit na ako'y mahirap lang, marami naman akong kaibigan "
- Pinoy by Freddie Aguilar

"Kahit mahirap lang kami.. masaya naman kami ! "
- TV interviews in rural areas

"Kahit ako'y mahirap lang
At ikaw ay mayaman
Kung may pagmamahalan
May paraan

Kahit ako'y isang dukha
At ikaw ay marangya
Magsakripisyo't magtiyaga
Ako ay handa

Magtyatyaga ako sa aircon
At titira sa iyong mansyon
Nakahiga sa buong maghapon
Kahit ayoko ng ganun"

-KAHIT AKO'Y MAHIRAP 1998 Words & Music GARY GRANADA

OK, the last one wasn't really in lieu with the other two. But there is a *hint* of Pinoy syndrome X-ness.

(Spoiler)
Allow me to disect Robin Padilla's movie. To me it has an unrealistic ending.

What did he do wrong:

* He spent for his dad's accomodation for the Home for the aged only to fetch him back. <- Unnecessarily spending money.
* Went back with his old GF ( Ruffa Mae Quinto ) and his diabetic kid. <- Incurring of further expenses.
* And the icing on the cake. After getting his US Visa after 3(?) tries he decided not to go. This, after being crucified and all.

Pinoy Syndrome X !! Pagka-Martyr ! Let's put some afterthought on Robin's decision. I wonder how he would cope. Supporting his dad and his dad's ailments was enough burden on his take home pay. Paano na pag me esmi at anak pa sya ? Kesa umangat ang buhay nya at makatulong sa tatay at misis nya... eh parang lalu pa nyang ibinaon ang sarile nya.

I HATE THE FACT THAT THE MOVIE ENDED LIKE THAT. Ano yun ? happily ever after ?? Ano na lang ang iisipin ng taong madla ? Will it naturally resolve to

" OK lang na maghirap masaya naman kami."

WILL SOMEBODY EXPLAIN IT TO ME ? I DON'T GET IT !!! It is encouraging people to think with their elbows. Very disturbing indeed.

Why do we need to settle for things ?? Don't we have enough initiative to change things ? or is it more convinient to leave everything else to fate.

" Ipagpapa-sa diyos ko na lang ang lahat."
" Bahala na ang diyos sa akin."

Hanggang consuelo-de-bobo na lang ba parati ? Hindi ba nasasaad sa bibliya na tulungan mo ang iyong sarile at tutulungan ka ng diyos ( I'm not sure something like that. Forgive me I'm buddhist ).

O sige wag na biblya ! sa Jerry Maguire na lang eh...

"Help me help you."

Let me end my blog entry with the following questions.

"Bakit yung mga mayayaman ba walang kaibigan ?"
"Pag Mayaman ka ba hindi na masaya ?? "

The best thing about Baguio city...

Baguio City (a.k.a. city of pines , summer capital of the Philippines, 6hr drive from manila), the mere mention of its name seems to have a calming effect on me.

Some people prefer leaving manila during night time and sleeps off the 6 hour travel and wake up in the town proper of Baguio. I understand the practicality of this approach. You wake up, settle in and enjoy half of the day ahead. This is best when your doing a short 3 days 2 night trip.

I however, enjoy leaving manila early in the morning (5-6am). It does several things for me being 1. prolongs anticipation 2. builds excitement 3. I get to enjoy my afternoon nap ( I'm not driving obviously ) 4. Holding the hand of my Queen ( universally the most powerful and influencial piece in a man's chessboard ) before dozing off and awaking holding her hand still.

The journey officially begins when you hit the North highway, now known as North luzon express way (NLEX). Before, you can sneak in a couple of 5-10 minutes nap and still find yourself in the North expressway. Now you can just zoom your way thru the lopez-maintained NLEX. Depending on how much you enjoy the 'Fast and the Furious' movie the NLEX phase can possibly be over in under an hour. If you, like me, who somehow hesitates exceeding 120 mph you can finish it in a little over an hour's time.

After the NLEX phase comes the city-to-city town-to-town hopping part. I like the 'I'm-not-in-manila-anymore' feeling that I get when I see the endless stretch of trees along the highway. The 'probinsiya' type houses havin a white dog with a brown patch on his left eye chasing chickens around. Cows and Horses taking their time munching on the greens while they watch all sorts of vehichles zoom by (I think I should try that).

I unconsciously check on the provinces 'general progress' as compared to Manila. I've a simple way of doing so... I count the number and variety of Fastfood chains available ( "LOOK ANOTHER JOLLIBEE !" ). After 4-5 hours of province-progress and fastfood-counting phase we finally arrive at Baguio.

I like the cooler climate and laid back lifestyle vibe that I get when I step off the vehichle. I enjoy early morning walks with my non-pregnant-queen as we build up our breakfast appetite trekking the uneven residential streets. I've been to Baguio city several times. Popular places likes Mines View, Camp John Hay seemed to have lost its charm on me.

But the one true thing that I like about baguio is its not-available-in-manila benguet coffee beans. Ninety percent of the hotels in baguio offers benguet coffee. The 50% Barako beans+ 50% Benguet beans mix equals 100 % pure ecstasy ! It's simply unbeatable its a heavenly combination talaga. Taste bud NIRVANA ! ANG SARAP... Putris ! It really goes well with baguio's cool climate too.

I love the strong cofffee aroma that it gives off. It makes breakfast infinitely better ! Some people might find the 50/50 blend too strong for their taste. I say this to these people "Arte nyo bwiset !".

I haven't really experimented with ratio's like 1/4 barako and 3/4 benguet or 100 % benguet. But so far the 50/50 mix does it for me. I've had coffee's from UCC, Starbucks and Seattle's best even if you perfected the coffee-to-hazelnut (or nutmeg) ratio its still is mediocre coffee to me. Batangas coffee doesn't do if for me... parang me kulang eh (benguet?).

It costed around P120/kilo before. I used to buy 6 kilos of 'baguio coffee (50/50 mix) for pasalubong and 1 kilo bag usually last us a month (7 people/day consumption). One trick my father in law taught me was not to have the beans crushed when you buy them. This should more or less preserve the aroma of the coffee. Just have them grinded in manila. Since barako is abundantly available in manila you can buy pure benguet beans and have it mixed in the market with barako. ( What a great idea !!) Another thing is napping on the way home won't be a problem because of the absence of the strong coffee aroma.

So the next time any of you ( yes the 3 of you who read my blogs !) visits baguio remember to buy Ube Jam. Yum !

Crossroads...

I've been in IT since 1998. In the 7 years that i've been in IT, I have witnessed
the so called technology explosion. Millions of software with similar or identical functionalities abound. Platform choice of businesses shifting from one to the other. Different ways, different technologies available to service a particular need.

I am once again in the crossroad of choosing which technology to invest my time in. I say invest simply because if its a dead-end pursuit, time is simply wasted and nothing substantial is gained or a stalemate at best.

A choice between going for breadth vs depth. Do I become better in my specialization or do i branch out ? If i do branch out which technology ? Xml ? Java ? Linux ? Datawarehousing ? Believe me when i say the choice is endless and confusing. As of the moment, Everything seems to be attractive at my end.

I wish i have an elder Jedi guiding me.. "Choose wisely my young padawan".

Only now do i fully understand the saying "Time is gold".

Life and Chess

Life and chess, to me we play the white pieces and life plays the black.

Life like chess, to me, has 3 parts.

The Opening
The Middle game
and the End game.

The Opening..

In chess, the goal is to control the middle and develop your pieces.

Wala kang laban dito.... To me, the Opening (yours) is decided by your parents Middle game.

If you're on the well-off to the filthy rich range you have a vast amount of opportunities at your disposal. You will be sent to a good school (at least initially.. if you end up in a bad school malamang malabnaw yang utak mo.. MAG OATMEAL KA! ), dalawang bagay lang ang gagawin mo Mag-aral at mamili kung anong kulay at modelo ng sasakyan ang gusto mo.

If you're on the average income bracket. You will be sent to a decent school. Isa lang ang gagawin mo... mag aaral ka lang.

If you're on the Maralita side, well malas lang... mahaba haba pa ang byahe nasa opening palang tayo eh. Wala kang allowance, you would have to work for it pag kagaling mo sa tarbaho (<- ayos ba sa ispell?) me lakas ka pa ba mag review ? or gusto mo ng magpahinga ?

The Middle Game...

In Chess, this is where tactical thinking comes into play... this is where you gain or lose material. Unfortunately Sometimes, the game ends in the middle game.

To me this is the 'after college' part. Syempre malaki parin ang influences ng Opening game dito.

Top tier schools
When you look for work and you graduate from the top tier schools you get better work, better pay... so because of a sound opening you have a strong middle game to work with.

Mas magara pa ang auto mo sa mga bossing ! at dahil dun nde ka basta basta kakayanin ni 'boss'.

Middle tier school

Think of it as the white pieces development are match by blacks. Patas kayo sa pyesa tabla-tabla. Nakapasok ka sa matinong kumpanya, OK naman ang benefits.

Dehins maiwasan ang mainggit sa mga 'Perks' ng rich kids. Cool cars, cool celfonez at parang andaling manligaw ! Merong pag date at pang hatid eh.

"Hey have you been to europe ?? you should go its soooo maganda there." . Nakupo sine lang ang apord ko.

Low tier school

Malas eh, buti nga nakatapos pa ng kolehiyo eh... 20 years worth of struggle. Kaya pa ?? wag kang mag alala umabot ka na sa middle game.. kanya kanyang diskarte na to.

What's for merienda ? "Yosi or Fishball" choose one.

"Well atleast I can make tusok tusok to da pisbol"

Like what i said earlier. The Middle game is where tactical sensibilities now comes into play. Play it right. Play it right.

End game

Bata pa ako... dehins pa ako qualified to write about the end game. :)

I am in the middle game of my life where every move is critical. I've made some bad moves and some brilliant ones. I am still in the thick of things... Evaluate, evaluate and evaluate see where your current position may take you.

Life is like chess, every move counts and time runs out. Time is a commodity and further development is critical.

In Chess, if you reach the 40th move you will be given another hour to play the end game.

In Life, they say it begins at 40.