Gong Xi Fa Cai!

CNY 2012 is rainy here in Singapore. Nonetheless, this wouldn't keep me from going out to enjoy the festivities and greeting everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! It's the freaking YEAR OF THE DRAGON!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE DRAGON KATOL! Tira lang ng tira, my friends! Carpe Annum!

It's More Fun If You're Not A Prick

No, I really wasn't planning to post something today, until I saw this article by Mon Tulfo which pushed me to pursue the posting. 


I know that it's more fun in the Philippines, but for the heck of it, I hope that these "guests" coming over don't act ridiculously towards denizens and abuse all the FUN over there. 


And please, Pinays deserve to be treated with respect.

To be oppressed in another country is sick, but to be treated like crap in your own land is just offensively atrocious.

ON TARGET:

The Ugly American

By Ramon Tulfo

Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:56 am | Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

A Korean-American who holds a top position at the US Embassy shouted invectives at a young Filipino woman whom he nearly bumped with his car last Friday.

Dean I. Chang, the American Embassy’s second secretary, cursed Princess Cordova, 22, after he got out of his Toyota Forerunner car with a Korean-looking woman, apparently his wife.

“You’re a bitch, you’re a bitch!,” Chang was heard shouting at the shocked Cordova who was crossing the driveway of a Korean restaurant on Jupiter Street, Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City.

Chang and his wife were apparently in such a hurry to get into Kaya Restaurant and nearly ran over Cordova, who was also entering the same restaurant with a female friend.

When Cordova told her uncle, Dindo Danao, an advertising executive, about the incident outside with Chang, Danao told her to go to Chang’s table to apologize.

Danao, who was waiting for Cordova inside the restaurant, told his niece she was probably at fault and that’s why the man was angry.

Even if she knew she was not, Cordova nevertheless obeyed Danao and went to Chang to apologize.

She got another mouthful from a man who’s supposed to act like a gentleman since he’s a diplomat.

“Next time I’ll run you over if you get in my way,” Chang shouted at Cordova.

When Danao protested the shabby treatment his niece got from the Korean-American, Chang reportedly challenged him to a fight.

“You wanna square off with me?” Chang said. Danao called the police.

Chang was arrogant with responding policemen. He wouldn’t show his ID, but gave his name and his position at the US Embassy.

Chang’s identity was confirmed when the head of the responding team, Insp. Rico Ramos, checked with the US Embassy through the numbers Chang gave him.

Ramos told Danao they couldn’t hold Chang as he has diplomatic immunity.

Danao called this columnist who asked to talk to Ramos.

I said that Ramos could hold Chang for a while until members of the media came.

Ramos said he couldn’t do that, but didn’t prevent Danao from barricading Chang’s car.

Chang refused to talk to the media and went back to the restaurant with another US Embassy official who came after he phoned for help.

While Chang, his wife and the other American diplomat talked inside the restaurant, I took down the plate and windshield sticker of Chang’s car.

I surmise that based on his car stickers, Chang is a US serviceman.

One sticker reads: Dept of Defense, B6B 3C3, West Point, New York.

Another sticker says: New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, 20-6-12, No. 0806947.

He has a temporary plate: 097 Diplomatic.

*  *  *

This is probably the first time a ranking US diplomat quarreled with a Filipino outside the embassy grounds, and a young woman at that.

At the risk of generalizing, in Korea, home of Chang’s forebears, most men have a very low regard for women.

A joke goes that during the Korean War, an American soldier at a checkpoint noticed a man walking some distance behind his wife.

When the American GI asked the Korean man why he walked far behind his wife, the Korean said: “She step on land mine, me safe.”

*  *  *

Chang is not alone.

The US ambassador, Harry Thomas, is so different from his predecessor, Kristie Kenney. He once said that foreign tourists came to Manila for sex.

These “diplomats” remind us of that 1960s movie “The Ugly American,” based on a novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer about Americans  in Southeast Asia.

I’m not referring to their looks, but their character.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/125295/the-ugly-american

Well, Mr. Chang, hindi nakaka- immune ang diplomatic immunity mo. 

Pwede kang ipatumba anytime. Alam mo bang unpredictable kami pag napupuno?

You just don't know what you're in for. So hey there guests, NEWSFLASH: make sure that you know your limits when you wanna have FUN in the Philippines.

#ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines: AMININ NIYO!

Mabuhay! Isang maligaya at masaganang bagong taon! So kumusta naman ang mga atay natin diyan?! Qualified for donation pa ba? Yung mga daliri ba'y kumpleto pa? Okay: finger and liver check muna, guys! 


Anyhoo, dahil bagong taon na nga ay nagsi- sulputan din ang mga bagong trip at pakulo. Pero eto, astig ang DOT sa inilunsad na proyekto para sa turismo ng Pilipinas ngayong pagpasok ng 2012. Well eckchually, nagtaka ako kaninang umaga kasi excited ang mga nasa Twitter at ang ibang taga- media naman eh nainip sa pag- uunveil ng programang ito. At itechiwa pala yon! Ang bagong slogan at website ng gobyerno para i- promote ang Pilipinas. 

                      #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines


Siyempre, post naman agad ang lola mo sa Facebook!!!

Trending sa Twitter. Props to Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr.!

At ano pa nga ba ang sumunod kundi nangolekta ako ng mga tweets mula sa ilan sa aking mga sinusundan. Yung iba, nag- hashtag at pumasa naman sa taste ko. Tapos, pinagtagpi- tagpi ko na sila. EFFORT!

From author Neil Gaiman himself. Wow. 

May mga Pinoy na tila gumamit lamang ng sentido kumon, kinurot ang pinakamalikhaing bahagi ng utak, at bumanat ng comedy upang makaisip kung bakit nga ba masaya sa Las Islas Filipinas. Nostalgia galore ito! Keep them coming, people! After all, walang halong stir itong It's More Fun In The Philippines drama! Sana nga lang ay malikom ang target na 12 milyon na turista by 2016. Kaya i- ekis ang mga daliri, magkapit- kamay, at nawa'y hindi lang Bourne movies ang i- shoot sa Pinas. 


Paalala sa iba diyan, huwag munang magpaka- KJ at negatron! Bad vibes kayo eh. Aminin niyo na okay naman talaga sa atin lalo na ang mga fudamz, lugar, at iba pang interesting na bagay. Yung mga setbacks, yan pa nga ang mas nagpapa- fun eh! Kung tungkol naman sa ka- EPAL- an ng mga tao (when the word 'EPAL' is of frequent usage in the country), huwag kang mag- alala. Kahit saan meron niyan at wala kang kawala. May multo pa kamong kasama.


Ayaw mo pa rin pumayag? Hala, sige, magbalot- balot ka na at gumawa ka ng paraan para makalayas ng Pinas. Fly ka na papuntang Uranus. Basagan pala ng trip ha. 


TANONG: Eh bakit ako nasa Singapore? Mahabang kuwento. Read all about it here. Nosebleed factor. Naging isang matinding sagupaan sa utak ko ang #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines VS #ThePayIsMoreInSingapore na ito ilang buwan nang nakakaraan!


Basta, I'm proud to be Pinoy kasi nga naman, no matter what, #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines. SOLID.


To cap this off, here are some photo memes. Enjoy enjoy, chickenjoy!

Of course, hindi ako magpapatalo sa paggawa ng photo meme at meron din ako:

Jeanette and I at Star City

Me and Mai at Max's Restaurant

Madami pa yang photo meme ang susulpot... Give it an hour. Creative kasi ang mga Pinoy. Para sa'kin, orig ang ideya ng DOT dahil sa panahon ng pagkakalunsad dito. Own it and you're headed for more fun.