Let's talk about life

The Sex Ed Teacher Dilemma

2009-07-02T16:57:00.011+08:00

A few months ago, the Singapore government announced that it was going to revamp the sex education course that's currently being taught in class. Instead of being solely focused on how sex works and the diseases caused by sex, it'll focus more on lessons teaching young kids to abstain from it until after marriage.

A thought came over me after hearing about that announcements in the news. When it comes to teaching sex education, which teacher would be more effective in teaching the topic to teenage boys and girls: a hot guy, a hot girl, an ugly guy, or an ugly girl?

I had short conversations with my girl friends and my guy friends regarding the topic. I was quite surprised with the answers they gave me. Let's start with the men.

Men's Answer: "I will learn a lot more about sex education and actually remember it if my teacher was a hot girl."

I actually thought that a hot guy will be able to teach sex education very effectively. It's because if the hot guy teacher is hot and cool looking, the guys will have respect for him and actually follow in his footsteps. While the guys agreed with this point, having a hot girl teacher is still better, or at least they claim to be.

1. It's because by having a hot girl teacher, guys pay more attention in general. I thought it would actually be detrimental to sex education because guys might just lust for her, but it appears not to be the case. The fact that the boys are only teenagers and the teacher is older makes them not lust for her like men of the teacher's age would probably do (or at least at less frequency). There's a respect factor involved.

2. In fact, for guys, it not only involves sex education, but a hot girl teacher is actually beneficial for guys in any subject, because of the fact that the hot girl teacher commands more attention.

So for young teenage boys, sex education lessons can be taught more effectively if the teacher was a hot girl (but probably not so much if she wears an outfit like the one in the picture above. :D)

However, at the end of the day, this still needs to be confirmed through actual observation. Claimed responses usually come from what guys want, and not really their answer to the question.

Women's Answer: "I will learn a lot more about sex education and actually remember it if my teacher was a hot girl."

For women, surprise surprise! They would also like a hot girl to be their sex education teacher. Although this is surprising, the reasons they give are more straight cut and more logical than the men's responses.

1. They will only fantasize about the hot guy if ever he becomes their sex education teacher, so the lessons won't really mean anything to them if the guy's too hot.

2. It'll serve as a role model for girls to have a hot girl teacher, a person who can have any guy she wants, preach about control, abstinence, and correct sexual values.

So for girls, and I believe in this case, their response to this question is more believable. The claimed behavior would most likely match the actually effectiveness of driving sex education lessons deep into the students' consciousness.

So at the end of the day, both genders have the same preference for a sex education teacher. I asked them to rank the types of teachers starting with the one they prefer the most, and this is what both groups told me...

Hot Girl --> Hot Guy --> Ugly Guy = Ugly Girl (No order of preference for the last 2)

So there you go. A tip to all governments or schools who want to prove their education systems. If you want to increase lesson effectiveness, ONE FACTOR (I'm not saying this is the ONLY ONE) that can affect this postively is to hire hot girls as teachers. Sad as it may seem, but we still live in a society that factors a lot of things based on appearance (though we all deny it).

layman

Got No Time To Pray? Let The Internet Do It For You!

2009-05-05T17:11:00.009+08:00

We now live in the digital age. This fast paced lifestyle has transformed our lives dramatically in only a span of a few years. Our time is now divided into so many responsibilities that we barely have time for anything nowadays.

Good thing the internet provides for everything nowadays! No time to go to the grocery, we can order them online and have it delivered at our doorstep. Too lazy to cook or go out to eat? Order online and get it delivered in an hour's time! Too lazy to go to work? There are now zillions of work-at-home jobs where all we need is an internet connection.

And got no time to pray? The internet can now do it for you! :D Courtesy of http://www.informationageprayer.com/index.html

Whether you're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or have an unaffiliated religion, this site can pray for you at an affordable fee! They even have special deals where you can get a prayer package only for less than 5 USD! Woohoo!

Not convinced? Here are the reasons why we should engage in their services!

So why wait for the price of prayers to increase? Subscribe now and use the power of the internet to help you go to Heaven (whichever Heaven you belong to)!

layman

PS. We live in a f*cked up world...*sigh* If I were God, I'd immediately send the person who had the audacity to make this website straight to hell.

A Man Named Dhariwal

2009-04-28T22:33:00.004+08:00

While waiting for a cab I can flag down from my place, I saw an old Indian man appearing a few meters away, apparently waiting for one as well. Since the cars were going through him first, I was resigned to the fact that he'll get to flag a cab first, even though I was already waiting before he arrived.

He eventually got one, and I shrugged. Typical Singapore, I thought. People going about their own business, not giving a damn about other people...

...until the cab he rode on suddenly stopped in front of me, and I had the shock of my life.

He asked where I was going. I told him I'm going at the City Hall area, and he offered to share the cab with me since it was on the way to where he was going. And suddenly, I found myself inside a cab that I've surprisingly shared with an old Indian man from down the street.

His name was Dhariwal (I hope I spelled it correctly). He was an old man, about 50-60 years old. He works as an IT specialist, and he has a son in law who worked at market research before moving over to consumer business. He told me about his work before in manufacturing, then moving into IT when Singapore started focusing on business management.

He felt bad because I was waiting for a cab first, which was why he offered me a ride. And from the moment he told me that, a lot of thoughts flashed before me.

For me, it was a wake up call, as well as a sudden realization of how selfish our society has become. We're just focused inward, mostly only on ourselves, that we forget that we have to have the presence of mind to respect other people's rights and privileges.

It's partly not our fault. Our social structures make it hard for us to care about other people. Most of the time, if we're not careful, we wouldn't even be able to take care of ourselves. There are lots of things to pay for in order to live a decent living (house, car, insurance, taxes, etc.). We need to give our time and effort to acquire them by working hard. And if we thought that was all, we have all these external pressures forcing us to buy more, borrow more money, or else we'll be left out of the community we live in.

Life is very tough, and for many of us, because it's too tough to care for ourselves, why be bothered about other people?! If I can grab an opportunity presented to me at the expense of others, who cares right? The person was stupid, not qualified or not lucky enough, so to bad right?

As difficult as it is, we can't be contented with caring just for ourselves. Other people are people too. We need everyone to be happy and contented in order for all of us to be happy.

Even though life is difficult, it doesn't take a lot to be nice to other people, to make them feel better. It's a simple matter of giving your seat to someone who needs it when riding a bus or train. It's about following a queue in an orderly fashion, and to settle agreements with compromise instead of by force.

Dariwal's case was the perfect example. Just being concerned about me waiting for a cab by asking me where I was going and exploring the possibility of sharing the cab made me feel good the entire day. Imagine if each of us would do a simple nice gesture like that everyday, then the world will be a better place.

So to Dariwal, my regards and compliments to you. I hope you live a good and happy life, and I hope you continue to show other people how life is supposed to be lived; by caring for both ourselves and for other people.

layman

PS. the picture above is not him. It's the only picture I can find that best represents him. :)

I'm Back!

2009-04-28T22:27:00.002+08:00

I'm back!

Apologies to the few who follow me in this blog (You know who you are. :) Due to the nature of the articles here, I don't expect a huge following. :D ). I have been gone for quite a while.

There were various reasons, but the main one was due to a lack of inspiration to write for a while. I had a lot of things I wanted to talk about, but didn't have the will to write them.

So, during the time I wasn't writing, I've kept a log of topics that I wanted to talk about.

So here we go.

layman

When Laws Miss The Point: Female Teacher Jailed 10 Months For Teen Sex

2009-02-23T22:52:00.003+08:00

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SINGAPORE: A female teacher in Singapore who had sex with a 15-year-old student was jailed for 10 months Monday, a court spokesman said.

The woman's identity has been withheld to protect the victim, said the spokesman, who confirmed that District Judge Sarjit Singh handed down the sentence, but gave no further details.

Now unemployed, the 32-year-old woman earlier pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor under the age of 16.

The friendship between the teacher and boy began when he was a 14-year-old Grade Six pupil and joined an overseas school trip which she led, a report said.

They later had sex, when he was 15, after the boy said he loved the woman who had declared him her godson, it said. By then, the boy had moved on to a secondary school.

They had sex five more times but when she tried to end the affair the boy threatened to kill her, leading her to contact police, the report continued.

The report added that Judge Singh said the case involved a serious breach of trust.

The woman could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

She wept as she was led away to serve her sentence, 938Live radio reported.

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Source: Yahoo Singapore

Now, before I say anything, I'd like to clarify that both of them were a bit koo koo (bonkers) for even having a relationship like this. I know single adults in Singapore have a serious problem finding loved ones nowadays (I'll write about this some other time), but this is a bit extreme.

However, wasn't the sentence passed by the judge flawed in this context? Doesn't it seem unjust for the woman? Here are my viewpoints on the matter.

1. I know the woman had sexual relations with the boy. But is that "Rape" in Statutory Rape? The boy gave his consent. He told her he loved her. And don't give me the argument that the boy didn't know what he was doing. Please, at that time, he was 14, not 5 years old. Hormones may be influencing him, but he was already rational at that time.

The woman must have been sick, but to punish her for "rape" seems off. She didn't force him to have sex. It just happened that the person she had sex with was not of "legal age". If she was below legal age, she wouldn't be charged with this "crime".

It seems like the law was enacted for the sake of ONLY following the law, and not to uphold the values it's trying to protect. She gets jailed because of a legality, and not really a corruption of moral values they've put in place.

2. Why wasn't the boy punished? He threatened to kill the woman! That was the reason why she went to the authorities in the first place. The boy was the one who had evil thoughts and had the intention of committing a crime. Why he gets to roam free I will never know.

Laws are made to uphold the values that we've all agreed that we should live by to have peace and order in society. Laws are made by the people for the people, and so the law has to be always put into context in any given situation. Otherwise, it becomes too rigid and won't make sense, like the case of the woman.

In the end, I end with a learning I've heard long ago. Laws are made by the people, for the people. We should live by the laws we've put in place, but we also have to be ready to change / mold them when they deem not applicable anymore.

layman

Social Insensitivity: Waiter Returns $45,000 Ring, is Rewarded

2009-02-09T23:35:00.006+08:00

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Waiter returns $45,000 ring, is rewarded.

His salary may be less than minimum wage, but it doesn't stop him from turning over a diamond ring worth P2 million ($45,000).

For his good deed, resort worker Rodolfo Niere yesterday received a cash reward of P10,000 ($216) and a citation from Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia "for exemplary character of honesty".

Niere, 20, was recognized for returning a diamond ring worth $45,000 (P2,070,000 at an exchange rate of P46 to a dollar) that a balikbayan (overseas Filipino) left in their resort during the Suroy Suroy sa Sugbu southern heritage last week...

...Although he was only receiving P2000 a month, he always makes sure that he will not make a mistake before he needed the job...

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From the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Full article can be read here.

As "feel-good" as this article's supposed to be, this article just pissed the hell out of me for a number of reasons. Just to clarify why I'm very angry, it's not because of the waiter who returned the ring. I am very proud of him for doing such a feat. I'm pissed at whoever wrote this, as well as the person who lost the $45,000 ring.

1. The author of this article assumes that JUST BECAUSE THE GUY WAS POOR, HIS FEAT WAS MORE REMARKABLE. He may not be aware of it, but what he just did was look down on those who have low income, assuming that the moment there are opportunities for them to have easy money, they take the easy way out by committing crimes.

For one, being poor does NOT mean a person would easily succumb to crime or evil acts! It's is not the social status or income levels that define whether or not a person will commit crimes, but the values they grow up in! There are countries that have high levels of poverty but relatively low crime rates (source). True, I do agree that there are positive correlations between the two in most places (perhaps even causal), but it's NOT because of JUST BEING POOR! It's due to the social pressures being forced upon them (unjust laws, abuse by the rich, cycles of poverty created by unjust political and social systems, etc.).

The author may not have explicitly discriminated the poor, but that actually makes it worse because he sends a subtle message to those who read this. He's planted a seed of misguided awe into his readers' minds, thinking that the man was a good man for being honest IN SPITE of being poor, and that the rest of them are lying, cheating scumbags.

This kind of story is one of the reasons why the country is so divided, and it pisses the hell out of me because it's very insensitive to the real plights of those who need our help.

2. Another reason why I'm pissed is because of the balikbayan (an Overseas Filipino Worker who came back to the Philippines for a holiday / etc.) and her insensitivity to the plights of the people she used to live with. What a very hedonistic purchase! $45,000 for a fucking diamond ring! That amount of money may have helped A LOT of people, the vast majority living on less than $1 A DAY! And the worst part is, she almost lost it, meaning she didn't pay too much attention to it because she was taking the luxury for granted.

It makes me very angry because here I am, struggling to work alone in a foreign land to put myself in a position in the future where I'll have power or influence to help a lot of people, and the people who are already in those positions I desperately want to be in are just wasting away their power and influence indulging in very selfish acts such as buying expensive rocks that hardly mean anything to them.

I'm not saying we shouldn't indulge in a bit of luxury. But for someone who has grown up seeing poor people beg on the streets everyday, that purchase was just too selfish of her.

So for all of those who're able to read this, please to do not be like these 2. Be careful of what you write, because you never know the subtle messages you bring about by what you say. And please do not overindulge in luxuries that you don't necessarily need. There are more people in need of any extra blessings you have, and it's more fulfilling to share them in hopes of uplifting the lives of those who need it most.

layman

Cultural Evolution: The Singapore Use of Chopsticks

2009-01-31T17:21:00.003+08:00

In my 2 year stay here in Singapore, there are a few things that are always viable topics of discussion when I'm with different groups of Singaporean Chinese. Among all of these, my personal favorite involves a very "weird" practice unique to Singaporeans. Somehow, the way they use chopsticks is completely different to how their racial counterparts use it.

This is basically the "normal" way of holding chopsticks; how the Chinese from China, as well as the Chinese in other countries in South East Asia (except for SIngapore and possibly Malaysia) eat using this utensil. It's how we were taught as well in the Philippines. Heck, that's even my hand in that picture! :D

The sticks are apart, with one resting between the thumb and the forefinger while the other is being held by the tips of the other 3 fingers (see picture). The stick nested between the thumb and the forefinger does not move. It serves as the anchor, while the other stick being held by the three fingers pushes the food to that stick and locking it in place.

Here's how a typical Singaporean would hold would hold chopsticks. There's a fundamental difference in how it's held. The sticks are together, nested between the thumb and the forefinger. One stick is also supported by the forefinger and middle finger in order for the sticks to cross each other. This forms an "X", compared to the traditional way that forms a "V" shape.

(And no, that's not my hand because I don't even know how to do it. :D)

Movement of the sticks is limited due to both being nested between the thumb and forefinger. How they actually get the food involves a complex movement of 3-4 fingers and a twist of the wrist.

From what I remember, the hand actually does a "scooping" motion, mimicking that of using a spoon to get soup. Then, it's as if the whole hand cringes in order to make the chopsticks cross each other while in this scooping motion, grabbing the food. However, unlike the traditional way where people can eat directly from the chopsticks because the form allows them to do so, Singaporeans have to put the food they grabbed using their chopsticks on their Chinese spoons (what do you call those things?), then use the spoon to eat the food.

I've always been fascinated with this evolution of a once thought universal culture. Whenever I would eat in public places, I try to think about how this culture change came about. Even the very old Singaporeans hold it using their way, meaning this habit could have spawned generations ago, when a particular group of Chinese living in Malaysia and Singapore suddenly opted using this method.

What's also strange about this is that it's a topic of discussion among foreigners and Singaporeans, but no one has really written anything about it. It's definitely something worth investigating, because this rift in chopstick handling is very insightful and interesting in the study of cultural evolution. What was once thought of to be a one-way-only method of using turns out having a surprising counterpart.

It's amazing how cultures seem so similar yet so different.

I'm still grasping how to actually do it the SIngaporean way. It's a very difficult thing to do. :)

layman

Thank God You're A Man

2009-01-26T22:01:00.007+08:00

I found a series of ads from a beer brand that I'm not really familiar with (is this Thai? If anyone can recognize the beer brand please let me know). Now, I can go on and on about gender stereotypes, the discrimination and double standard society has on women, etc. But I'll let it pass this time. We all need to laugh at certain aspects of our lives from time to time. Otherwise, we'll go crazy. :)

My favorite one's the bathroom thing. So detailed! :D Hahaha!

layman

When love does not find you

2009-01-18T22:47:00.004+08:00

On my way home from the city, I had a very interesting conversation with the taxi driver. It opened my eyes to a world we all seem to ignore and take for granted.

The taxi driver is currently 48 years old. He has been a taxi driver for 18 years. He was never married. I do not know if he's had a relationship before (I sincerely doubt that he has had one). But I do know he's still single, and he has resigned himself to this fate.

He's not alone. He has a number of friends who are of the same age as him and still single as well. All of them want the same thing: to find true love just like everyone else. If he had only lived in a romantic movie, he would be able to find his special someone soon. Sadly, life isn't like that. He's pretty much past his prime, left as an average old guy in Singapore: not too tall, very skinny, geeky looking (he was wearing glasses), and has a high pitched voice. He's not rich, he's not good looking and he probably doesn't know how to woo women, which pretty much ruins any chances he has on being able to find someone he can spend his entire life with.

His friends were actually entertaining the prospect of marrying girls from overseas by engaging in a mail order bride system. He didn't want it because he thought it was going to be scary. If the relationship did not work out and ended up in a divorce, the guy would lose half his fortune to the woman he hardly even knew. So with that, he'll probably not find a special someone anymore. The closest thing he has to having a relationship is by engaging in prostitution (which I figured out from listening to the hints he was dropping regarding that topic).

In today's world, we're culturally conditioned that finding our "true love" is the ONLY way of being truly happy and fulfilled in that aspect of our lives. Worst part is, this "true love" can only be acquired in ONLY ONE POSSIBLE ACCEPTED WAY. We grow up with that notion through movies, soaps, books, billboards, advertisements, the works. Guy finds girl, does something so girl will notice. Girl likes guy, they fall in love, live happily ever after until they get divorced or otherwise.

However, society doesn't really tell us what happens when we're not able to do live by this. What happens to that heartbroken guy in the movies, the third person cast out by the couple? We don't know. We happily ignore that guy because we're too caught up in the wonderful life lived by the couple. What we do not know is that the people who are not able to fit into this mold are in pain and slowly suffering because they feel they were outcast from everyone else by not being able to find their "true love". That's why they compensate through other means, through prostitution or arranged marriages, as a desperate attempt to fit into the mold.

Like what the taxi driver told me, his friends have the same predicament as he does. It means the number of people getting caught up in this situation is increasing. A subculture of people who cannot conform to society's standards of "true love" is already being established right under our noses, and what's scary about it is that we absolutely have no idea it even exists.

I guess if there is something we can learn from all this, it's that in today's world, we're starting to box ourselves with notions that appear to be universal such as our notion of "true romantic love". What we need to be aware of is that it's not universal. It's something we've boxed ourselves in in order to be comfortable, ignoring the consequences for those who cannot fit the bill. If we allow ourselves to believe that there is ONLY ONE WAY of acquiring this, it makes those who cannot fulfill this feel very insecure, outcast and insignificant. And it forces them to settle for ways that are not necessarily acceptable, just to be able to fit in.

layman

Culture 101: Shanghai's Quirkiness

2009-01-14T22:41:00.019+08:00

Whenever I go to a different place, I really don't pay attention to the touristy sites when I take pictures. It's because I can always google these tourist places and usually already find very nice shots taken by professionals.

Instead, I tend to focus more on the quirky things / events that make a particular place unique. So I focus my spotlight on Shanghai and the things that make it unique to other cities. They're not in particular order, so apologies if I would jump from one picture to the next.

Without further ado... here we go! :)

Very very cute shirts. These guys work for Velvet Lounge, one of the more popular bars especially among foreigners in Shanghai. As much as it's quite cute, I would feel slightly embarrassed if I were the one wearing the shirt. But I guess if it would make my job a bit easier, I wouldn't mind.

Mainland China has a tendency to be instinctively amusing when it comes to their English signs and where they're placed, just like this "Fire Hose" sign. I actually couldn't figure out if they painted the guy first then decided to put the sign there for kicks or the other way around. Oh well, I will never know. Cheers to ambiguity and dirty minds. Hehe.

Check out China's version of South Park. Or maybe it's Cartman's long lost Chinese daddy and his friend? This is what the people in Shanghai watch on the buses when going home after a day of work. Even though I couldn't understand these guys, I found them quite funny.

Didn't expect to find Sylar in Shanghai! I wonder if he's off to find Chinese mutants and snatch their powers. :)

I wasn't surprised to see TV's found at the back seats in some of the taxis in Shanghai, as a lot of cars everywhere are starting to acquire this feature. I was surprised however, with the touch screen interface of the car TV's, allowing the passenger to actually play some games while waiting to arrive in their destination. Albeit very simple, it's something very entertaining, especially when one's bored.

I guess KFC had a Chinese ancestor after all. :D

Not really a fan of Doraemon , but when there's too many of them in the window shelves, they started to grow on me. I'm sure this was a head turner among Asian girls there. Asian girls have a knack for liking cute stuff compared to other cultures, which explains the design.

Well, it helps to improvise when the weather can vary from 9 to -4 degrees. In this car's case, the owner (I'm guessing a woman... please be a woman!) decided to make he car a bit more classy and fashionable during winter time.

Santa! No wonder I kept seeing "Made in China" tags in all of my Christmas presents before! You do your Christmas shopping here! Why I didn't figure out the connection before, I would never know.

So I guess this concludes that Santa's elves are actually Chinese. :)

I didn't expect these taxi driver shields to still exist in the city. I guess crime is still prevalent in the city. Honestly though, I don't believe it actually helps the drivers when they get mugged.

More ways of coping with the cold. Check out the handles in the scooter. It's quite cool how such a simple concept can be so useful and widely accepted.

Similar to the taxi shields above, I didn't expect babies to still wear these kinds of jeans in Shanghai. Basically, baby jeans have holes at their backsides in order to take a dump easier. I used to see a lot of these in Beijing. I guess having a hole on your butt is useful to some extent. Wouldn't want to wear his jeans now though. :)

And my favorite picture, which absolutely makes sense. If you want a Manicure, you should have a Panicure as well. :) Gotta love their English.

I will miss Shanghai. It's a kind of place where I pass by the same street everyday and still see something new.

layman

Blogging Freedom

2008-12-22T23:38:00.004+08:00

I currently find myself in one of the most exciting places to live in, a place known the world over. I'll be spending my Christmas here with my family, not to mention the other 1 billion people residing in this behemoth of a country. :)

Sadly though, as much as I want to share my experiences and photos with my friends who are currently somewhere else, I will not be able to do it until I leave this place. Why? Some of the blogging sites I use are banned here in China.

China doesn't have complete freedom of speech, just like Singapore. Unlike Singapore though, China's restrictions extend to the online networks. Online Networking and Blogging sites such as Multiply and Livejournal are banned in China. As far as I know there is no official statement from the government why they have blocked these sites. Most agree however, that it might be due to unsavory political opinions about the government from the users of these sites.

I wonder how they do it actually. Does the government have a body that basically surfs the sites 24/7 and reads every single entry? Or do they result in finding key words from all the sites and methodically study each site and entry and decide which ones to block or not? What if the entries about China are in another foreign language? Do they have translators for it? No one knows.

All I know is that I share some of the government's sentiments for blocking these sites. Online media is a very powerful medium nowadays. Giving everyone power to voice out their concerns / issues would be detrimental to an emerging and maturing society if left uncontrolled. Blogs have influenced a lot of our decisions nowadays, whether they're for gadget opinions, political views, layman opinions, etc. So for a maturing society like China, the internet lifestyle boom may be dangerous because they may get influenced by sites that actually lead to the destruction of peace and harmony in the country through change of heart about their government.

So yeah, it sucks, but they have their reasons. Thank goodness I can still log on to this blog. Otherwise, my holiday would really turn sour.

layman

Sock and Awe

2008-12-19T08:11:00.008+08:00

I just had to post this in light of Bush's shoe throwing incident. It is just too funny. :D Found this at Yahoo! news. Want to play the game? Here you go!

I'll save my commentary on the whole Bush shoe throwing issue for another day. It's time to enjoy the game first.

How many times will you be able to hit him? Hehe!

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Shoe-wielding Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who was catapulted to international prominence after throwing his shoes at President Bush during a press conference in Iraq, is now the star of the latest viral Web games.

"Sock and Awe" -- named after the military doctrine employed in the US operation to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq -- allows players to throw shoes at a figure of President Bush, as he ducks behind a podium.

Al-Zaidi missed both his attempts before being dragged off by Iraqi security forces, but players of "Sock and Awe" have a little more leeway -- you can keep slinging footwear for up to thirty seconds.

At the time of the writing, the virtual President Bush has been struck in the face by 21 million shoes, the site indicates. (layman: it has actually doubled since then)

Sock and Awe also shows visitors a league table of "Bush-shoeing countries" -- and although the United States is number one, the top five also includes France, Saudi Arabia, and the United Emirates.

News of this new-found Web fame is unlikely to come as much comfort to al-Zaidi, who is reportedly facing up to two years in prison for disrespecting a foreign leader. Players of Sock and Awe are unlikely to meet the same fate.

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layman

Return to Bethlehem

2008-12-16T00:12:00.008+08:00

For a change, I'll stop bitching about political systems gone wrong and move on to happier things. It is Christmas time after all.

Every year, an extraordinary event takes place during the Christmas season. Remember the 11 million people working hard overseas in order to send money to their families back home? Well, around the second week of December until early January, about two thirds (estimated) fly back home.

Plane ticket prices soar to monumental proportions. Even budget carriers are charging 600 - 800 USD for a 3 hour flight to Manila (it gets more expensive the further the worker is staying). In spite of it, flights are still fully booked. Money is no issue during this time, as long as it means being with their respective families.

Why? It's because in the Philippines, Christmas is the happiest time of the year for Filipinos. It is such a festive season that fieldwork for marketing research cannot be done because all the respondents are too happy. Every house would have Christmas decors, every mall would be littered with red and green designs. TV shows are bombarded with Christmas ads and TV shows about the season. The Christmas lights and parols are truly unique spectacles to behold and experience.

And so Christmas in the Philippines for Filipinos is truly something that cannot be missed. If it means spending a lot of money and scrambling for flight tickets, it's a small price to pay in order to experience something that's worth way more than money; spending the festive season with those we truly love.

layman

Overseas Filipino Workers: The New Lifeblood of the Philippines

2008-12-13T15:26:00.003+08:00

11 million Filipinos are working overseas (inluding myself). That may not be much when compared to the number of Chinese or Indians out of their respective countries, but you have to consider the fact that there are only 89 million Filipinos in the world today. It means around 1 out of 10 Pinoys (Filipinos) are working away from home, or roughly 11%.

This isn't because these 11 million have hopes and dreams of exploring the world, experience new challenges and meet new people. Ask almost all of them and they'll tell you why they're working abroad: they had no choice. It was something they had to do in order to give their families back home a better life. It would have been OK if these Filipinos brought their families along to settle in a new place. Sadly, that's not the case. Most workers fly off and work overseas on their own, leaving the ones they love behind.

At least, in spite of the loneliness they feel, they're efforts are paying off. In 2007, these 11 million people sent an average of $1,500 dollars to their families. Sum it up, and the total amount Filipinos abroad sent back to their families amounted to $14.5 BILLION (USD). That is a lot of money. Because of that money, their kids have been able to go to good schools. The families back home were able to buy houses, lots, and cars. They were able to pay for medical bills for their sick relatives. Indeed, these overseas workers have been the new lifeblood of the Philippines. This is why even though unemployment and underemployment remain high in the country, people are still treading above water. This year (2008), it's estimated remittances from OFW's would increase to $16 billion, resulting in even more money for families to spend especially during the tough times.

But this trend comes with consequences.

1 out of 10 families are broken. Children are growing up without 1 or 2 parents. Sure, they may have money to have a better life, but it's not everything. Money cannot buy a hug, a caress, or a kiss. It cannot buy the company of the people who are not around.

A lot of Filipinos face discrimination in the countries they're working for. These 11 million people are not all professionals or white collar workers. Majority of them are maids, nurses, caregivers, waitresses, and construction workers. These jobs are prone to discrimination from all who believe that a person's job denotes his / her social status in life.

And the worst consequence for me is that bad habits of Filipinos are reinforced because of the money being sent by Filipinos abroad. The families back home think the Filipinos abroad have a lot of money, when in fact they're starving themselves of having a better life so they can send a bit more money back home. Relatives of relatives suddenly ask for money to finance their needs, taking the easy way out of their financial needs instead of looking for jobs or thinking of ways to better their lives. Suddenly, some people are sending money to finance the education of their uncle's brother's nephew, kids that these workers do not even know or care about. Some families become lazy and are not motivated to work or start a business, because they can always rely on their lifeblood abroad to get them out of their financial problems.

The new lifeblood of the Philippines these people may be, but the tremendous amount of money is not the whole story. The Overseas Filipino Workers and their families are suffering everyday. Money may solve some of their problems, but it will never be worth the price of living a sad and lonely life that's experienced by those who are away and left behind.

In an ideal world, every Filipino would want to be home with their families without worrying about their future. Hopefully, the massive exodus of Filipinos is the first step to the end goal: for everyone to come home.

layman

Corruption 101: Bureau of Customs

2008-12-11T00:00:00.009+08:00

Ask any Filipino about the Bureau of Customs and they'll tell you it's one of the most corrupt government bodies in the country. Most of the time, their judgments are based on hearsay and perception. The general public does not really have much interaction with the agency, so where is this branding coming from?

Well, because it's based on the truth, that's why. The Bureau of Customs is really one of the most corrupt agencies in the Philippines, and I have the lowdown on transactions take place between importing companies and the agency (thank God for friends who directly interact with them).

Before I go to the details, can i just say that the Bureau's vision sucks? "A custom's administration which is among the world's best that every Filipino can be proud of"? C'mon guys! I'm sure you can do better than that!

Anyway, here's how the corruption takes place in the bureau. To better illustrate, let's assume I'm a business owner importing shoes from China to sell into the local market and doing everything (paperwork) on my own.

DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY

1. I'll give the purchase order to the Chinese guy I'm buying from. He will then give me an invoice and basically I'll settle the transaction between us.

2. So the Chinese guy will be hiring a courier to send the shoes to me. So far so good.

3. The courier company then sends a transit manifest to the Bureau of Customs, and the agency sends confirmation. Basically this step is required so Customs will know something's coming.

4. I'll then have to send an import declaration to the bureau. They're supposed to assess the papers and give approval. --> This is where the corruption first takes place.

Ideally they're only supposed to check papers and make sure everything is in order. However, the bureau is so corrupt that they frustrate the importer into bribing them in order to approve their papers. These are some of the tactics they do:

a) They look for the slightest mistake in my application and tell me they will not release my goods unless they receive the "correct" details

b) They'll process my application very slowly in order to frustrate me in looking for "alternative" ways. It's because they know if I don't get those shoes soon, I'll keep losing money because I will not be able to sell and make profit.

c) Sometimes they'll even resort to creating fake violations in order to not release the goods.

The worst part about this is, if my cargo has not been released to me due to "problems", Customs is not liable if anything happened to my shoes. Most of the time, some of the goods get stolen. Best part is, it's mostly the people from customs who steal the goods and sell it themselves! Amazing!

NO CHOICE...

5. So I'll have no choice but to bribe them into approving my imports. Because I didn't bribe them right from the start, they are going to ask for a LOT MORE.

6. Customs approves my papers, and will only then release the goods so I can finally sell them.

Doing the right thing just cost me precious time and money. If my business involved constant importing of products, I'm pretty much screwed and will go out of business soon.

SUCCUMBING TO EVIL

I'm just a business owner, I will not be able to change the system because corruption has deeply rooted itself in every aspect of the government body. So to keep myself sane, I'll just have to succumb in doing it the corrupt way.

1. So I'll have an agreement with the Chinese guy in buying my shoes. I settle the transaction and he sends the goods.

2. I'll have to hire a Broker. Basically, a Broker is someone who knows importation inside and out. Basically, he'll be the middleman in charge of securing the goods for me so I do not have to directly liaise with the Bureau of Customs.

3. The Broker will ask me for money, which will be split up into 3 payments:

a) Payment to the broker for his services. He would never do it for free! :)

b) Tariff and Importation fees. This is what importers pay Customs for. This is the legal processing fees for my goods.

c) Bribe money for the Customs officials. Apparently, the bribe system in the Bureau of Customs is so orderly and systematic that they only ask for one fixed amount. The bribe money distribution follows a certain hierarchy; big boys get the most, middle ones get enough and the smallest share goes to the lower ranked employees.

Also, bribes follow seasons. In Christmas season, the prices actually rise because of the holidays. :D This is funny. :)

4. The Broker will take care of everything. And after the Bureau releases the goods for the Broker's company, they'll "sell" the goods to me. So it would appear as if it's a local transaction on my end instead of something I imported from China.

Advantages: Quick and Easy. Minimal transaction as all I have to do is talk to the broker. Being corrupt is actually less time consuming and less expensive than doing it the right way. Plus, the broker even has guarantee the goods will arrive at my doorstep intact, else he will be paying me for damages / missing goods.

The problem lies very very deep in the organization. The government culture is so bad that not only have they lost hope for changing for the better, they're taking advantage of businessmen and making them corrupt as well. I asked my sources about their thoughts on this corruption cycle. They said given a choice, they would rather settle transactions the right way. However, it's the government agency that's making it impossible for them to live their lives guilt free.

Change for the better is easier said than done, when the actual system has gotten so bad, it multiplies evil by the thousands.

layman

The Manny Pacquiao Effect: Is it real?

2008-12-08T21:39:00.008+08:00

Props to Manny Pacquiao for a very good fight against the former Golden Boy, Oscar Dela Hoya. He was really amazing, doing pretty much everything he had trained all those gruesome months for! Sometimes, I'm still amazed at how fast and strong he is in the ring. I'm perplexed on how he's able to throw 4-5 punches at a time, NON-STOP. If you're watching the fight via livestreaming, you can't even see his punches because they're just too fast!

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao! You have proven yourself as one of the best fighters ever in the history of boxing. :) You have given Filipinos someone to be proud of by working your tail off in order to be the best. You have been a source of inspiration.

You have done your part. However, the bigger question is, have we done ours?

Have we Filipinos fully grasped the significance of a Manny Pacquiao in our lives? Or does Manny Pacquiao's efforts eventually mean nothing to us, dwindling after the excitement has faded?

Whenever there is Pacquiao fight, the whole country holds its breath. There is no traffic and hardly no crime. Even the military and the militant groups declare truce and stop fighting during this day. Everybody tunes in and cheers for him, in good times or otherwise.

Pacquiao's victory "will make Christmas for us poor a lot less lonely," fruit vendor Epie Medio said in Cagayan de Oro City (source: Inquirer). He has that effect on the poor because they know they can relate to the boxer. Manny rose from poverty through boxing. He knew what it was like not to eat for a day. He sold donuts in the streets of General Santos city in order to have money to help feed his parents and 5 siblings.

And it's not just the poor. Every Filipino sees him as a source of inspiration, a glimmer of hope. "It was like David slaying Goliath" (source: Inquirer). Everyone stops what they're doing and cheers for him. Here is a man who rose through poverty and is constantly battling in order to remain a symbol of the "I can overcome any hardship" nature of the Filipino spirit...

...only during fight day, and maybe a few days after that. But what happens after that?

After the hoohaa of the Pacquiao fight, the crime rate goes back to normal. In fact, crime rate actually increased in 2007, during the period where Pacquiao had sensational wins vs. Barrera and Morales (source: NSCB). As much as Pacquiao has been a source of inspiration among everyone on fight night, his hardships and wins have not been enough to make people change for the better.

Corruption still runs rampant in the government. Corrupt politicians are not being punished for all their crimes. Drug Lords and syndicates are still free and still get to do whatever they want. The worst part about it is, these people are actually using Manny's fame and success for their own selfish gains.

The best example to illustrate this would be this guy beside him, Governor Chavit Singson.

This guy should be in jail (actually, I'd rather have him dead.). He was involved in a lot of gambling scandals. He ratted out the former president of the Philippines, Joseph Estrada, because he was apparently cut off from the profits from illegal gambling. Instead of being implicated, he was given pardon by the new President for his assistance in impeaching Joseph Estrada.

He was the guy who ran for Senate afterwards, and actually said in one interview that ALL it took to win an election was a very good political machine. (How about a vision, ideals, and values?! Thank God you did not win)

Sadly, he's ringside in all of Manny's fights. And he's actually made millions from betting for Manny, riding in his success. And he's not the only one. Bookees have told me before that the betting odds for Pacquiao lower a few days before fight night because all the Senators, Congressmen, Governors, Mayors and even the Low Ranked Officials place in their bets (sometimes in millions of pesos) which they've probably gotten illegally. If only that money was used to help the millions of poor people crowding in front of the television sets, hoping someday they can be like Pacquiao. Sadly, winnings from Pacquiao fights only go back to the filthy pockets and not to those who need it most.

As much as I want to believe Manny Pacquiao has changed the Filipino people for the better, it appears nothing has changed. We are still a divided people. Wars against the NPA and the muslim groups still occur. Crimes are still happening, corruption is still rampant. People are still poor and struggling.

The world pauses to watch Manny Pacquiao, if only to escape the harsh life we Filipinos are living in. However, sooner or later we have to face reality.

As much as we do not want to admit it, Manny Pacquiao is not enough. The real fight is within the Filipino people, its struggle to change itself for the better. One man, even if he's the best fighter there is today, is not enough.

layman

In the Philippines, it's harder to get a student driver license than a non-professional one

2008-12-06T21:10:00.007+08:00

One of the main reasons why Filipinos feel their government sucks is because of its non-sensical rules and regulations. Whether it's applying for permits or getting approval for businesses, a person has to go through SO many steps in order to get one. It would be OK if these steps makes sense. However, more often than not, they don't. That makes it increasingly annoying and frustrating at the same time.

Here's one of the best examples of governance gone bad: it's actually a LOT more difficult to get a student license than a normal one.

FYI to those not familiar: A student's driving license is available to those who are 16 years old. It's not all that really. A person with a student driver's license can only drive if accompanied by a person who has a professional driving license. For something that's not really all that great, it sure takes a lot more procedures to actually get this done.

Here's what a 16 year old has to do to do it the "right" way (not bribing anyone and actually sticking to the rules)

1. The Land Transportation Office (LTO) does not have a website stating how to apply for one. So normally, a person would have to the nearest LTO office in order to get a form. (edit: apparently, the LTO HAS A WEBSITE! *applause*)

2. When the guy gets a form, he's told that he needs a Tax Identification Number (TIN) that he's supposed to jot down in the upper left (or right, I cannot recall) of the application form. Of course, the teenager does not know that he's supposed to get one first.

-->This is the part you'd be asking, "What does a TIN have to do with a driver's license?" Believe me, I also do not know. A 16 year old is not required to pay taxes yet anyway.

3. Anyway, the kid would need a TIN. It's not available in the LTO. He has to get it in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) office. The LTO personnel there would just tell the guy, "ah kailangan mong pumunta ng BIR ser (ah you need to go to the BIR sir)". So naturally, not knowing what's happening, the kid will just follow the guy and go to the nearest BIR office.

4. Upon arriving at the BIR office to apply for a TIN, he would be told that because he will only be able to get a TIN if he has two things, a cedula and barangay clearance. Best part about it is, they're both found in 2 different places. A cedula can be found in the local city hall. The barangay clearance can be acquired at the barangay hall.

FYI: A cedula is a piece of paper that costs 5 pesos (maybe more now). It's a piece of paper that's actually pretty useless. It doesn't give anything. If a person loses it, he could just buy another one back.

FYI: A barangay (for those who don't know what it is) clearance is a piece of paper notifying the agency that a person has not committed anything bad in the barangay.

5. So the kid now goes to city hall to get a cedula. He has now gone to 3 offices now in 3 different places. He needed to get the cedula first in order to get barangay clearance.

6. Next, he goes to the barangay hall to get the clearance. And lo and behold! He would still not be able to get it! The person there will tell him that because he's 16, he has to have an authorization letter from the parents allowing him to acquire one!

7. So the guy has to go back home, write a letter and have his parents sign it, and go back to the barangay hall.

8. Finally, he would be able to get the clearance. He now needs to go back to BIR to get his TIN.

9. The kid would finally get his TIN. He now needs to go back to the LTO and be able to finally apply for his student license.

10. Once at the LTO, he faces one last hurdle. After doing everything else, he still would not be able to get his license! He's missing a notarized letter from his parents. So after everything he has gone through, he calls his parents to come over the office to show up and tell the LTO person the kid has consent. Only then will he be able to go through with the application.

11. The kid will wait for 2 hours and finally get the student license.

Summarizing everything...

Total time spent: 8 hours (9am-5pm)

Number of offices the kid had to go to: 4 (5 if you include the trip back home to get the stupid authorization letter for barangay clearance)

Number of steps in order to get the license: 11.

Good governance at its finest. :)

layman

The Blog I've Always Wanted to Create

2008-12-06T18:56:00.000+08:00

I've always wanted to create a blog that focused on my learnings and insights about politics and social phenomenon happening all around me. My other blogs were basically about my life. I've never had a chance to just focus on one topic and stick to it until now.

I'm basically just an average joe (average Juan in Filipino) working here in Singapore. Being here has opened my eyes to various experiences. It has enabled me to have new perspectives in viewing and living life. I never realized there was so much to learn, so much to share to everyone. And this would be my attempt in doing so.

I'm no lawyer, political scientist, nor am I a renowned sociologist or an economist (well technically, I am. I did take it up as an undergraduate. But I'm no expert.) so you'll have to pardon me if there will be factual errors in my entries. I am an average guy after all.

And so I begin.

layman