My Blog

I arrived back in Brisbane yesterday morning at 4:00am and it was a warm and balmy 9 degrees, phew, can it get any warmer?

Just goes to show what you get used too after a while

Both airport experiences in Manila and Brisbane were non eventful with both processes being quick and efficient. No turbulence on the journey just smooth flying all the way till touch down.

My flight was the first one in on Tuesday morning so no queues at immigration or customs! I have never had such an easy airport to airport experience in my life and was quite please over all.

I walked out to the Taxi rank and before going to the first cab in line decided I would have a smoke as I had remained over 24 hours awake and needed a little pick me up. I got through half my cigarette and then saw the oncoming crowd from the rest of the flight passengers rushing toward the taxi rank and knew this was a sign to get a cab now, "Back off bitches, the fist cab is mine!" …. Threw my ciggie in the ash tray and ran.

I got to my house at around 5:00 am. As it is winter in Australia it is still quite dark at that hour as the sun really doesn’t start to make an appearance until about 6:00 am. I managed to scare the hell out of my dog as she could not properly see me through the wooden fence and was not sure who’s voice it was telling her to stop barking and shut up. She has since made this little incident up to me by being very clingy and cuddly, her way of saying "where have you been?’ and "Did you bring me food?".

There was something strange about the whole returning home experience that I could not put my finger on until later in the morning as it occurred to me how quiet it was. There were no car horns beeping in the distance, no voices from midnight commuters or street stalls. No sounds of Jeepney, taxi or bus, just quite that left a rather deafening hum in my ears, maybe the sound of post atomic war Brisbane but this felt very strange since I had become a custom to noise.

It was good to be back in my own bedroom and in my own bed where I knew I would not have to hear the one noise I hated in Makati, "knock, knock, House keeping…. Are you awake sir? ….. knock, knock, house keeping".  Darren did tell me he was going to walk in saying this but I think he thought better of it! He would have been walking around for week with people wondering, "who kicked him in the mouth?".

My thoughts are still very much with my new family in Manila and I wish them the best for the future.  I know they don’t need my wishes as they are a great professional bunch and will make every day a success but I still want a piece of me to be with them so my heart and wishes will be sent every day.

Dan.

I cant believe last night was my LAST night at work here in Manila! Time went very fast indeed but the memories are still very fresh and will last for ever.

I can only say thank you to a really great team of individuals who made this journey a once in a life time experience.

I don’t believe in the word goodbye as we never really close any doors on friendships and great memories no matter what the distance is. Their is a purpose behind every meeting and when you least expect it you understand their is no exit!

I guess we all question why certain things happen and why they always change as this is a part of our minds, to understand, to rational the good and the bad, the ever lasting quest to find a purpose to what can seem illogical at times. But all this together allows us to believe and have faith in our own instincts and put theory to our faith.

Have I been this way before? Most certainly, and I will come this way again! Do latent memories from another life time bring old souls together once again? Perhaps!

So I wont say goodbye to my dear friends here in the Philippines, until next time we meet and I am sure that we will soon.

Sayonara, sugar.
If you’re so hot to go, well, hit the road.
Ciao, bello.

Sweet and low, that’s the way I like it.
Sweet and low, that’s the way I like it when you say my name.
Sweet and low, sweet chariot.
Baby won’t you carry me, baby won’t you carry me home.

Wow … last night I was taken out for my farewell meal and it had to have been the best restaurant food I have eaten since I arrived in the Philippines! ( equalled only by the food that Victor has been making for us ).

I can only say “do these guy’s at IBM DAKSH know their food or what?”

I was a little stunned when it came to the ordering as Marian was doing this in Tagalish and while speaking to the waitress I heard the word “Bakla” being mentioned. One of the very few native words that I know and I did assume she was either calling the waitress a dyke or making it very clear there were a few queers at the table….. a little strange but that is just me being ignorant.

I think Marian saw the quizzed look on my face and explained that she was ordering “Gay Crabs”.. One had to ask, how do they know they are gay? …. It was explained to me that Gay Crabs have a different shape than male or female crabs of this species and have less fat. The meat also tastes better ( I could have told her that ).

I never went any further to clarify if the crabs were actually a sexual or true hermaphrodites ….. an interesting point but getting a little too personal and callus considering they have now been plucked from the ocean, boiled, grilled and now staring as a main course at our table. Regardless of any biological facts these poofters have been fucked over in a very big way and makes any discrimination against me pale in the wake of this oral delight.

So the meal comprised of prawns, grilled stuffed squid, crab, grilled muscles and vinegar cured fish with rice and all was just divine. The stand out dish was the prawns as it had the most delicious sauce of butter and garlic and something else that made it distinct. The sauce was also great with the rice. and yes the gay crabs were very tasty indeed.

To Marian, Heidi, Oli and Edsel I say thank you for another wonderful experience that I am sure never to forget.

Well tonight is my last night at IBM Manila and it is going to be a very sad event for me. I have really grown close to the people here and consider them dear to my heart. These guy’s are the best and I dont make these dedications too often in my short life. If I have to think of one word to describe my time here then the only one I can say is “WOW”!

Better go and get ready for work.

Laters.

Dan

P.S. I woke up from a very strange dream this evening of two red crabs, both wearing leather thongs and nipple piercings with small silver studs in each claw. Both of them have rainbow coloured Blemy’s swimming around their heads singing “Bakla, Bakla” …… Noooooooooooo! Seafood was never meant to be so weird.

Oh boy, playing catch up again with my blog is never as easy as it should be!

Well, I am down to my last days in the Philippines and in 5 days time I will be winging it back to Brisbane.

It’s still work as usual for me over these days but it is slowing down knowing I have the confidence that everything will be ok here and the guys are really showing that they are made of the good stuff. I am so going to miss them!

I can honestly say that I have grown up a little here and that was one thing I did want to do, mature a bit. If I start to smell like old cheese then I know I have really over done it!

One thing I do know for a fact is that I will be taking back with me a different outlook and perspective on things. One of them is I have learnt to trust a little more. Not just in the work place but with people in general, not every one is out for a free ride and people will still be nice just for the sake of it. One example of this is when you get into a taxi, (yes I have spent a lot of time in taxis) a total stranger who is sitting there ready to transport you really because he has to, no commute no pay! But when they buy sweets from the street vendors and then openly offer them to you as the passenger, it’s so kind and thoughtful. It shows me not all people are there to take you for a ride (unless you are a taxi driver!) and want to be nice just to make the day a little brighter.

I wont be so stupid to say it is a return to innocence as I am too synical to believe that anything in this world is innocent. My world is not rose tinted to blind me to these things especially when you see children utter there first words in life, and they turn out to be words like BUM or DICKHEAD and even ARSEHOLE, but I can sure say it is integrity gained and that is missing in a lot of our daily interactions. It sounds simple and stupid because we are told that there is always something underlying in every voice we hear or we look for the complexities surrounding the truths that we cling too but isnt it nice just to be nice?

I was always told (and it’s a belief that I still cling too) if you do the right thing and be kind to people then good things will return to you in your lifetime but if you act like a fool and treat people like dirt you can expect that it will only come back to bite you in the arse sooner or later …….

well as I sit here with two pieces of doublemint gum in my mouth chewing like on old heffer on it’s cud (not a pretty picture) I am still reflecting on my time here as I ponder getting some sleep and for the first time in quite a few weeks i have noticed that the last two mornings have been big bright blue skys with just a little silver and white cloud to temper the skyline. I havent noticed the smog and the sound of traffic has become a little distant too.

I think I am all set now for the next adventure! ….life is in the details and everyday is an adventure.

Cheers.

Dan.

Just a list of stuff I have discovered while shopping in Manila:

When you are asked to buy DVD’s on the streets and you are with some one, they ask you “DVD’s?” … if you are alone they will ask you “Porno’s?”

Even if you are puchasing a Fake brand it is still good shit!

Pointing at a menu item in a restaurant doesnt mean to say you will actually get that item ( yes I am pointing the finger straight at you Jolli Bee )

Zinnger Burger = 10 minutes
Champ Burger = 15 minutes

Aspirin = Dumb look from over the counter
Hard pack (cigarettes) = 2nd dumb look from over the counter ( must say flip top )

Clarify your order with any waitress no matter how long it takes. The last thing you want is a family meal of 2 kgs rice, 4 cups of soup, some meat in sauce and 16 spring rolls land on your table for take out when all you asked for was a bowl of rice and 2 won tons

Always tell Taxi Drivers you are married, then you have some chance of escaping the journey without the driver showing you how great a PIMP he is

Never give a waiter P 500.00 to pre order drinks with. This WILL become part of the tip!

Tequila and lime is not a common drink in the Philippines nor is Scotch and Dry …. you end up being the barman instructing how to build the bloody things.

14 inch new yorks finnest pizza = “I dont understand you!” - (mental note just tell them the name and the cost)

if you say “for take away” you will be corrected after 3 minutes of dead air space between you and the waitress. (another mental note - must say “take out”)

Telephones are not the best method for ordering food when it comes to room service. You learn this when you call down for an large Ice Tea and they bring you the biggest fucking ash tray you have ever seen!

cheers.

Dan.

While I am here in Manila several peices of renovation still continue to happen at the house back in Brisbane. In a weeks time the outdoor area will no longer be dirt and grass but a slab of cement ready for the tiles that we purchased almost 6 months ago to be laid. Darren has purchased an outdoor setting as well as sun lounges while looking at buying new office furniture for the study.

Funny how you get used to money always being there but you have to ask yourself does the atainment of money help in any partnership. To get it you have to spend a lot of time at work and very little together just so that you can buy stuff. Is wealth just a means to an end as to fill in the blanks of distance or is it the social guilt trip for being a work-a-hollic? What is the point of having stuff if most of your time is spent at work and you dont get to use it all to its full advantages?

I have never understood why material things have now seemd to outway the tangible wealth of knowledge and experience. it must have been some retard walking along the beach one day and discovered his first piece of gold and claimed this was now more valuable then the shells he was batering with! The man should have been hung drawn and quartered at birth.

Not only did the act of placing value in mineral wealth disadvantage any form of social equality but is has done no less than rape the earth of all its value. We are standing on a global cash register not a plannet with unique and possible one of a kind life forms. We have even gone as far as trading in human body parts where at one time there was no price on the value of life…. it was a blessing not a dollar.

Now that people have understood what all this mining, excavation and poluting has done to the very fabric of our lives there is no way on God’s earth that it can be stopped. Our so called human race has seemed to over educate itself to the point it has lost all sensibilities and running the race toward extiction as it believes there is no longer value in the art of survival. What it doesnt understand is that it cant buy its way out of extinction as this is for ever!

One can only say that if there is going to be any change that we cannot rely on our governments to do this for us as their whole system is based on money and how much they need to attain for the next years worth of spending. They are no longer human and we are following in that path when we vote them in.

Until the next Ice age when we have to learn to survive by our witts and not by our gains!

Strange how the thought of cement slabs and office furniture ends up in bog of global guilt!

Happy spending everyone.
Dan.

was quite a rude shock yesterday evening at about 3pm when the door bell rang about 6 times (had to be house keeping in there so subtle ways of saying “Wake up”) and yes it was them… walked over to my computer to find I still had no internet …. I am sure they are charging for every day the internet has been down.

Just after house keeping left I was trying to join one of the many unprotected wireless networks around without any luck, then the door bell rang yet again. It was a Man from maintenance with some box in his hand. I could not pass on this oppertunity to let someone know how frustrated i was that they advertise in room internet and charge pretty well for it too but yet it never seems to work. After letting fly with my anger and telling them to fix the fucking thing once and for all I found out he was only there to change a light bulb…. poor man!

Well today is graduation day for one of the many training ramps that have been put through for our client and I think Margaritas are on the cards again for tonight but I wont be mixing drinks like I did the last time. Getting too old for this staying out all night and drinking crap. I do love the company but I also love my sleep as well.. I must admit though I do need to find a good cocktail bar and sit and have some girly chats with Agnes. prefer deep and meaningful conversations rather than listening to dance music. I do love music but some of the crap they play in the clubs leaves a lot to be desired as they tend to be more of a frequency rather that syncronistic aural art.

Not much more to say, just a lot of random thought going through my head. Thoughts of returning back to Australia in early August and being with my family again. Thoughts of what we have achieved over the last few months here in Manila and thoughts on how I view life and geography in general. It’s all good with slight tones of melancholy surounding it.

I am a creature of habit, and my addiction is change and my life without changes would just be considered an existence rather than living!

Wanderlust is in my veins and it wont be long before I want to go again.

A conduit of mere thought is just a vessel of anti actions. thoes who choose to act upon thought are the real living beings.

If soundwaves travel slower than the speed of light then why do you hear people fart as soon as they are lifting there butt cheeks ….. or is this the definition of anticipation working in real time?

Like I said, random thoughts, but never any wiser!!

Laters,

Dan.

There will come a time you need a friend
when disapointment follows you around
and although we ski in the shallow ends
both mice and men continue to be drowned

so if you run and get caught in the rain
just give a smile cast your line out again

when you are down keep on going
determination will change your luck
dont look around keep on going
if you believe that you’ve had enough then you must keep on going
dont ever give up

and although you’ve heard it all before
there is always someone worse off than you
with the milk of human kindness on the floor
your tears will only turn a shade of blue

so if you run and get caught in the rain
just give a smile cast your line out again

When you are down keep on going
determination will change your luck
dont look around no, keep on going
if you believe that you’ve had enough then yoou must keep on going
dont ever give up

SONG: Keep on going
ALBUM: debravation
ARTIST: Deborah Harry
YEAR: 1991

It’s Darren’s and My Anniversary today. 6 Years of being together through thick and thin times.

Love you honey!

You can not drive around the streets of Manila without seeing this ironic symbol of careless satisfaction being thrown about. On the back of each each taxi and bus these words are written with a well displayed phone number placed beside it and one would have to ask, are these valid phone numbers? Does any one ring them?

I have never seen such abondon when it comes to driving in all my life and the total chaotic mess that is rush hour here on the streets in Manila. It can be quite a frightening experience when you are sitting in the back of a taxi and witnessing that you are about to be sandwiched between two buses. Once the ordeal is over this sign “How’s my driving”, gets flashed in your face only to realise that the joke has just been set upon you.

After a while you realise this is normal, this mess of automatic transport is in fact relative and systematic ….. it just works! How, I really dont know. Has western culture become so laiden with rules and regulations that we cause accidents on purpose? Or do these rules actually cause accidents?? Why I say this is because I have never in the last 3 months witnessed one road accident that has caused this whole tangle of traffic to cease flowing. If this was Australia or Canada, it would never work coming to one crippling hault.

In 3 months on the roads in Australia you would have witnessed at leat 3 accidents that would cause traffic suspension for around 3 hours at a time and countless attacks of roadrage upon commuters and congestion that would be relative to being constipated for 14 days. Here I have only seen one bump to the side of a vehicles wheel cover with the car owners anger emissions equivelent to that of a hissy fit, rubs the side of the car then gets back in to dive off again. One does have to say WHOOOPEE for the wheel cover!

I remeber one conversation I had with Oliver in his car where he commented on how hard he foud it driving in Sydney, I didnt find his driving bad at all and compared to some taxi’s I have been in, he drove like a little old lady, very carefully! I made a joke about it all, “Why, did you find it hard to stay inside the lanes?” …. he said “YES”! …. I didnt want him to clarify this answer because in my ignorance and limitted worldly experience I guess I would have froze in horror if he said he wasnt joking……. I dont think he was?

Paint a line down the centre of the car bonnet and thats the lane you stay in!

So, if youreally want to know how you driving is Manila? ….. Pretty fucked by most standards but it works and I am not one to say change your ways because I dont think rules and regulations would work here on these very busy streets. I think it’s just as close to perfect as you can get. Lets just say that sometimes in a perfect world chaos has to prevail somewhere.

Dan.