Sunday, January 29, 2006

kUNG HEI FAT CHOY!

Beng Shiu, San-san, Fin-fin!!!
YESTERDAY marked the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar
as it ushered the Year of the Fire Dog.
Greetings from Tainan & Taipeh, in Taiwan poured,
where some kamag-anaks still reside and continue to live
despite "other" chances open to them.
They aren't willing to give up the properties left to them by Tatay....
San-san have been working with a big jewelry company and speaks near-perfect English, having immersed in English in one of the Universities in Manila.
Fin-fin and his brother [a perfect replica of my elder brother!] have not communicated for sometime since Tatay died.
I wonder what happened to them.
I hope they are all doing well....
and that this year, [like all the years to come....]
bring them Good Health and Great Wealth to spend for the Betterment of their People.....
ACHI LOVES YOU ALL!!!!
******

Saturday, January 28, 2006

DIGITS, DIGITS!!!!...Part Two*

In order to exist in this world,
most Pinoys [and some others...for that matter!] say: we need CASH!...


Bakit nga ba... balik na naman sa PERA ang usapan ng taokapag nag-uusap?
Pera raw kasi ang problema para maka-andar ka sa panahon ngayon!
Ganundin marahil ang problema ng mga Trainees na nanggaling sa Pilipinas
at nagtratrabaho sa bansang ito.
Kahapon, nagkaroon ng isang balitang nakatutuwa dahil sa aksyong ginawa ng mga namamahala sa Planta.
>>>NAIS nilang tulungang mabayaran ng mga Pinay ang kani-kanilang mga nautang
BAGO pa sila makarating at magtrabaho sa bansang ito!
Ginamit daw nila ang pera sa pamasahe papuntang Maynila,at sa iba pang mga papeles na ipinaayos nila para lamang ma-aprubahan ang mga ito.
Sa apat na nakipag-dayalogo, ang pinkamalaki ay dun sa lider na may utang na 100,000.00PP! Ang pinakamaliit ay 30,000.00PP. Yung dalawa pa ay may 35,000.00PP at 50,000.00PP raw!
Kung bakit umabot sa ganitong halaga, eh hindi ko maunawaan,
pero ang umabot ng 100,000.00PP ay may credit cards daw na nagamit!
Mabuti na lang at handang tumulong ang nasa pamunuan
at handang ibigay muna ang halaga sa kanila hanggang sa mabayaran nila lahat ang kani-kanilangmga pagkakautang.
Gagawin ito para mapalis na sa isipan at puso ng mga Trainees ang mga kadahilanang bumabagabag sa kanilang mga puso nang sa gayon, makapagtrabaho sila nang maayos habang malayo sa kanilang mga pamilya.
Buti na lang at may ganitong Kompanyang nakikinig sa mga hinaing ng kanilang empleyado!
Paano na lang yung iba?
******

O-YEN and FAR AWAY FROM HOME!

PAYDAY is yet to come, but apparently,
the Trainees working under my care have ran out of moolah!
When asked why it was so, they told me a lot of things
which revealed the travails of adjusting to new environs.
You see, in this part of the world, there are Pinoy enterpreneurs who cater to selling Pinoy products. This is often called Rolling Pinoy Store..... and their price is enormous!
Usually, these Pinoys allow their compatriots to get as many products as they can and pay them all up the next pay envelope arrives.
I used to buy from them,too, but I realized in time how it drains the pocket of anyone craving for a taste of home!
My wards were lured to buying lots of things:DatuPuti sukang maanghang, Nido powdered milk,and more! They even bought oodles of Telephone Cardsto call home last Christmas!
NOW they are in the red and have reached O-yen, meaning nada! in their pockets!
So yesterday, being their day-off, and my day with them,I brought them to McDo and treated them with some Meal-set concoctions I seldom partake. They gobbled the Cheeseburger Set with gusto!I chose EBI-fillet [SHRIMP] and gave away the fries.I can't have those oils inside me!
And to show them HOW to make a meal at their place,
I accompanied them to the supermarket.
I bought some fish fillet, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salad dressing, Katsuo fish flakes, and some fruits.
I instructed everyone what to do: one prepared the green salad while another fried the fish.Then we sat down to dinner and they experienced for the first time, how to make do with a simple budget.
Of course, these people are not used to the MISO SHIRU [MISO SOUP], the common soup that is found in every Japanese table. They opted to have their hot Milo drinkwith every meal! SO.... I intentionally omitted that.
It was heartwarming to find that they were able to finish the Greens and enjoyed them, too!Even Jane, who NEVER eat veggies had to eat 'em infront of me, kasi nahihiya raw sa akin....
One thing, though: I noticed that they all eat a lot of carbo [as in rice, bread, potatoes..] along with small portions of dishes...
I eat differently!
I always have lots of Greens and Fruits...and small portions of rice/bread some of the time!
Making the most of what is available in the market makes for the best buy..... and I hope that they learned their lessons well.
I realize that the work I am in requires that I have a head to share what I know and the heart to share what I feel would be best for each one of them....
TODAY, I have promised to accompany them to one of the cheapest supermarket in these areas.....
and I hope that they will make full useof some pointers given them.
******

Friday, January 27, 2006

DIGITS, DIGITS!!!! Part One*

Been thinking how digits and digits make up for the bulk of problems of humankind!
This week's top news remains the arrest of a young enterpreneur,HORIE-san,
who made waves in the early 2000 via the IT business!
HORIE was one businessman who never looked like one.
He reeks of the young generations' ways and looks!
He is only 33 and one can imagine what he could be in a decade or so.
He once admitted in a TV interview by a foreign correspondent that he dreams of becoming a Prime Minister of this nation in the near future.
He seldom wear suits and even if he did on occasions he cannot control, he never used neckties!
Last year, he figured on the massive takeover scheme of Fuji TV!!
A vast majority expressed qualms about it and some arrangements were made to stall such transaction.
He even ran as Lower House Representative to the Diet representing Hiroshima.
He was given the green light and was supported by the ruling Democratic Coalition led by the present PM Koizumi.
Fortunately, for the people of Hiroshima, and quite unlucky for Horie himself,
he lost in that election. Had he won, things could have turned out differently.People could only shudder in thinking of what could have been!
The main accusation hurled at Horie and his close colleagues was the manipulation of the shares of stocks to buy- some established companies he now owns. The scam involved cover-ups
and all that can be thought of in dealings with stocks and the like....
Politicians who were busy cuddling to Horie last year and had their pictures taken with him, are now distancing themselves as far as they could. Some have even denied they were the ones who approached him to run in the last election.......
Parang narinig ko na ang ganitong scenario, ah!...
AH! What price does one pay for FAME?
...Mas madali yatang maging NOTORIOUS kaysa maging FAMOUS!!!
ALL THESE USED MONEY<>
Problema nga ba ang PERA ?
I wonder!
*

Thursday, January 26, 2006

My part-time work in a Car Company here entails that of guiding, teaching the
Pinay Trainees how to adapt to the Japanese way of living.
Mundane things like garbage disposal, how to go around, where to go for the best buys
and more...have been mentioned by the Plant Manager.
I guess what these Pinays need is someone with whom they can relate to and assure them that everything will turn out fine.
The Pinays will be here for three years.
The bulk of them comes from Cebu.
They must have been recruited from the Industrial Plants thereabouts
and lured to work for better salary [of course!] and for a chance to go abroad.
I have been commissioned to be with the Company fora year,
enough time for the Pinays to adjust to the ways acceptable to the standards of Japan....at least.
I hope I can do the work as best as I can.
Today, there will be a Meeting between the Managementand the Trainees,
something I proposed the other day.
Some issues need to be discussed before they become full-blown problems.
*

ARRRGGGHHH!!!

These past few days have been terrible...err... horrible would be
the proper description, I believe!

I have been here since the January 15th, having taken JAL Flight 744.

And what do I find upon reaching my abode?

I found that someone has tinkered with my things and my PC!

Arrrggghhh!!!

I have lost all data!!!

CHUBU

BEEN away for sometime, hence, I wasn't able to update my blog for quite a while.....

I went to Inang Bayan to spend the Holidays.

I left 18th December amidst the snow-filled CHUBU International Airport in Nagoya.
Most flights were cancelled the day before, and the flights that day were particularly edgy. Passengers of cancelled flights slept at the lobby and
most were Pinoys who were redirected to join us via JAL Flight 743.

My flight was re-scheduled three hours late, and we waited for the sky to clear up.

When, finally at 13:00 hrs., our plane left, I prayed hard [as I know most did!] for a
safe take-off and flight.

We reached MIAA around 17:00 hrs., and felt the glorious heat of MManila as I stepped out
of the Terminal.

COLDER DAYS AHEAD

The past few days saw the mercury dip lower and lower...and the nights even lower....

This place I now call 'home' sits several kilometers away from the sea, the Pacific Ocean to be exact, hence,the sea breeze is strong most of the time. Reminds me of Puget Sound....

It is, after all, winter and the coats are out since November. I have not used one, though, until last week, when the temperature suddenly dipped. Nights are great, if one has the amenities....but bed is best after soaking in a hot bath, complete with those scents and bath salts. It never fails to make me sleepy and stay in bed longer than I'd have to.

The last week have been quite busy, having been 'working' as 'translator' to some Pinay Trainees who just arrived from Cebu Friday last week. I've been asked by a friend of a friend to assist one of Suzuki Plant's companies' new Trainees from Inang Bayan. Not that these ladies needed a full-pledged translator like me. It's just that the newcomers need some assistance as far as the rules and the 'hows' of living in Japan is concerned. Most of my jobs would be off-hours such as being there to show them the supermarkets, banks, clinics, and where to get the best buys.This would be great since I can keep my day hours to myself and my little 'school' where I teach young Japanese kids English Conversation classes.

Everything seems great!>..<