Help! I'm stuck

So what do you do when you're stuck in a meeting that you're sure will go on for the rest of the the day and you can't get out of? I really don't know, the meeting I was referring to was yesterday and I'm asking anybody out there for suggestions. The snacks served was good, though. But then the topic that requires my attention will be tackled in the latter part of the session. Ho hum.

I took out my mobile and started playing Tetris. After a while I was starting to misplace the blocks and it was game over. What's next? Engage another guy in a conversation, someone who looks similarly bored? Nope not a good idea. Let's see, how about doodling? Makes me like a grade schooler.

Let me know what I should do next time I'm into this same situation. Put your messages here.

How to get to Kuta Square

When we finally decided to go to Kuta Square, we had to transfer rides from the tour bus into a Komotra. There's a strict law against long vehicles driving into Kuta so the Komotra became a necessity, except when you like to use your own car. The Komotra is simply a jazzed up Canter configured to seat several passengers all in one trip. We were several in our group so you could just imagine loading the vehicle with multi-nationals.

A ticket is issued for the trip. Bus loads would simply fill the smaller vehicle then drive to the beach. The traffic into Kuta is very similar to the traffic going towards Cubao or Megamall here in the Philippines.

Batman

Ever danced with the devil under a pale moonlight? So says Jack Nicholson's joker in the 1989 Batman. Me and the kids watched this movie a couple of nights ago and I must say that it's still one of the best of the Batman series. It feels very raw especially with Tim Burton's direction and the way Michael Keaton portrayed Bruce Wayne with an almost disturbed personality.

Now, a new Batman movie (the Dark Knight) is coming very soon with Christian Bale continuing as the Caped Crusader and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker. Many see Ledger's performance in this latest Batman movie as his best worthy of a posthumous Oscar.

Let's hope we can get a glimpse of the movie which will be shown in theaters on July 18. I know my kids will bug me indefinitely on this one. It's a must see.

The vendor

Commuting around Metro Manila could literally be a drag. The heat, smoke and slow pace seemed to offer no hope at all. Sometimes we console our selves with the basic indulgence of a fishball. Yep, that street food that many attribute as source of food-borne diseases. Imagine almost everybody re-dip their morsel of kikiam or squidball into the sauce after they have already taken a bite. It's like french kissing everybody in a grand scale less the actual touching of the lips.

But there are ingenious vendors who employ some basic marketing techniques in their presentation to rid the street vending industry of this stigma. Take the case of my suki along Aurora Avenue near Anonas St. the fishball, or in my case the squidball, is served on disposable aluminum-lined paper dishes, sauce is added directly on your order. The iconic tuhog stick is also there.

See my suki vendor here wearing a bonnet not because its a bit cold but because its a replacement for a hair net. Also, basic tools include stainless or aluminum utensils that are almost immaculately clean.

Missing Bali

I was walking along the shore at Capari Point in San Vicente, Palawan about two months ago when I can’t help remembering the lively beaches of Bali. The fine white sand with shells strewn by the waves was just the same as in the famed Indonesian island but minus the crowd. Wish I could come back. Why the wish? You won’t know if you have not been there. I’ll try my best to explain and tell you more about Bali in my next posts. But in this one, let me just give a sigh of recollection of things I did and was not able to do in the chicken shaped island. How was I able to get there? The office sent me on training in Indonesia. Whoever made the training design was really a God-send for including Bali as one of the places to be visited.
You know what, I left my rubber boots in Indonesia with the belief that I may come back again. Too bad I did not leave them on Bali, to be specific if the belief turns out to be true.

The silent but beautiful beach at Caparii Point, San Vicente, Palawan

At the farm

Last week I went on travel to a farm in Sariaya, Quezon (that’s about 126Km South of Manila). I enjoyed myself with fresh fruits and some time with friends.

Johnny de Villa’s farm looked like a fruit picker’s dream come true. Despite the fact that tropical storm Frank wreaked havoc in many parts of the country, every tree in Johnny’s are bearing fruit, practically and metaphorically. Pickers are busy with the green mangoes (not the Indian variety, but the Philippine ones). He has the Pico and Carabao mangoes. One mango weighs a quarter of a kilogram.

For refreshments, we had coconut juice, nice for the kidneys. There are also jackfruit and avocado. By the way, if you’re gonna make some guacamole try to squeeze some lemon on the avocado to keep it from tasting bitter when you store it. The action of the enzymes on the avocado is checked by the acid from the lemon. Squeezed lemon is also good for all ingredients in a tropical fruit salad.



From the left: Johnny de Villa, Jun Carriaga, Boy Ferrer and Fenny Rojas

Don't lose your mobile

Are you a victim of pickpockets or holdup inside a public transport? Or do you know anybody who is? I am a victim myself, lost my Motorola L6 during a holdup in a jeepney early last year. My wife, also a commuter, oftentimes witness actual pickpockets at work inside a vehicle. And she has almost always tried to warn the hapless victim, putting herself at risk in the process.

Here's my take on mobile safety, all from experience.
1. When inside the jeepney, try to observe how people are seated. Oftentimes, pickpockets would try to crowd their victims; one accomplice would pose as the immovable passenger, pressing the actual pickpocket and the victim closely (let’s call that person as the presser). If you notice this arrangement with one end of the long seat virtually empty (jeepneys tend to seat 7 up to 12 persons on one side), and three to four persons pressed uncomfortably on the other end, chances are someone’s gonna lose something.
2. In the above configuration, the presser looks away from the scene while the pickpocket intently looks at his victim’s face, making sure the victim is unaware of his “operation”. One signal from the victim that he is sensing what’s going on and the pickpocket aborts the operation.
3. Try to figure out passengers who are communicating with their eyes, these are not pickpockets; these are people who will declare a holdup real soon. Oftentimes the seating arrangement would have someone behind the driver or at the front seat. Another is near the exit end. And another somewhere in the middle. If you happen to catch a glimpse on these, “para” or “sa tabi lang po” should be said in the next second.
4. Back to the pickpocket, they happen to have an empty bag or knapsack on their lap. This is used for cover. Always try to find the hands of the person seated next to you. If one hand is missing not because it was amputated, it is surely behind the empty bag trying to pry loose you mobile.
5. Do not keep you mobile in a belt holster. You’re an easy target if you do so. My officemate’s N70 was taken from his holster.
6. Always be aware of your surrounding, I’m not talking about a ten meter radius, the immediate half meter will do. Or better yet don’t let your mind wander off or try to get a glimpse of the girl seated across you, be conscious of people with you on a jeepney, especially the one next to you.
7. Before leaving the office for that jeepney ride home, try to put your mobile in silent mode. Try not to be tempted to use it while already seated inside the ride. Some people would use it as a music player, play games, or simply use it for its real purpose, but whatever reason you want to use it, its better to hold it off 'till you’re in the safety of your home. You say “don’t text while you drive”, but because I don’t have a car to drive then it’s “don’t text while you commute”.