The world loves America but resists its power...

From an article by Rami G Khouri from the Lebanese paper The Daily Star

"...the projection and prominence of American power in the world is one of the new realities that we are all still adjusting to and trying to manage in a constructive way. In some cases, the unfortunate among us simply try to get out of the way when the American Marines are ordered to march. In other cases, political activists and business people around the world work enthusiastically with their American counterparts on issues like promoting democracy and human rights, raising education standards or investing in hi-tech industries. Americans themselves are also learning about what they can and cannot do abroad, and in places like Iraq they are quickly learning the limits of their massive military power."

Full article here


From the same paper, today's editorial...

"We in the Arab world are shocked by the ease with which so many American journalists and commentators are calling for the speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. After cajoling the international community into accepting this war and then transforming Iraq into a horrific scene of terrorist violence and sectarian strife, Americans are starting to realize that creating a stable and democratic Iraq will entail much more work than they had bargained for. And as citizens of the world's sole superpower, they have the luxury of being fickle, while Iraqis are left to suffer in the wake of their invasion, occupation and withdrawal......

.....There is no doubt that building a peaceful and stable Iraq will be costly, time consuming and not at all easy. But the leadership in Washington has made a promise on behalf of the American people that they will see this adventure through to that end. The Americans have made a vow of friendship to the Iraqi people that ought not be broken. While we in the Arab world welcome efforts to promote peace and democracy, we are not in need of fair weather friends"

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"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us"*

I asked a friend of mine to send me some pictures today that were missing from my albums...pictures of a couple of nights out a couple of years ago...

Looking at the pictures reminded me so strongly of the events of those few nights that I totally zoomed out of where I was and what I was doing....

I remembered the taste of the Whisky shot I downed (I loathe Whisky), how much I laughed and enjoyed myself over two nights, how much one particular woman made me want to punch her (and I was not alone in that feeling!), that after an absence of two years I experienced nights out until dawn in Wanchai and LKF....and worst of all I remembered how great it was to be with one particular person....and how awful it is now to be without them.....


*Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"

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Christmas comes but once a year....

and should not start in September.....

the last few days the radio has been playing Christmas carols and the National Bookstore was playing Christmas carols and was full of Christmas decorations and trees for sale...

I have a horrible feeling that this is the start of what is possibly going to be the most commercial Christmas I have ever endured.

The Twelve days of Christmas are obviously long over....

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Wednesday....

I managed to open a bank account today...no mean feat given the hoops that HSBC wanted me to jump through to have the privilege of giving them my money to look after....rude, unhelpful and arrogant are just three words I would use to describe the customer service agents who I variously spoke to...so I gave up...and went elsewhere...obviously my patience levels are diminishing with age...when it took me three and a half hours to open my bank account with HSBC in Amman I just shrugged my shoulders and said "Inshallah"....no longer...

And the evening was spent with Spike, dinner at TGI Friday's and a little bookshopping after...talking with Spike was as interesting as last time...a person who lives a life as far removed as mine as is possible....the connections are there...Hong Kong, blogging and reading....but even within those similarities we are totally different! He brought me a little HKG care package...a copy of bc magazine and HK magazine....just a little touch of home and very much appreciated! After dinner we dropped into a book store and Spike introduced me to his latest read....so I picked up a copy, it's something totally different from what I normally read...so will see what I think! It was good to get out of work at a reasonable time and to leave 'my building'...third time this week....definitely progress....I just hope I didn't whinge too much over dinner about being in Manila....in summary...."You'd have to be mad to be a single, Caucasian female and move to Manila"!!....

I took the following picture of a row of recycled notebooks, in the bookstore after dinner....I felt it portrayed some of the idiosyncracies that one comes across in the Philippines....

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The British, England and the English.....

Just 59% of 1,010 Britons surveyed knew As You Like it was by Shakespeare and a third that Brunel created the Clifton Suspension Bridge... (this may sound like a terrible thing to say but....that's a higher percentage than I expected!)

Anyway, regardless of my thoughts..."A map of English 'genius' is being made available to combat perceived ignorance about creative and scientific pioneers" (from the BBC).

The map is actually very interesting and full of useful snippets of trivia...looking at a map such as this one makes me think two things...firstly....for such a small country England has managed to produce a good number of incredibly resourceful, clever and inventive visionaries.....the second thing...what about Scotland...., they too have their fair share of genius...Fleming, Bell, Baird, Doyle, Stevenson, Dunlop....and that's just off the top of my head....

After a survey was held last year in Milan, Mumbai, Chicago and Norfolk (interesting cross-section), Britons were found to be individual, tolerant, reserved and mulitcultural with a sense of history. They were also prone to 'hooliganism and drunkenness' where alcohol or sport were present. And the best part....

"...in the style stakes, Italians scoffed at claims of British panache but the Americans admitted Britons were at least better dressed than them."

Well that's a relief then.....

And also last year...another survey found that 6% of the Brits surveyed thought that the Spanish Armada was defeated by Tolkien's wizard Gandalf...Sir Francis Drake no doubt turned rather violently in his watery grave at hearing that...

and if you want to test yourself...a little quiz on British Battles....

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The hunt continues...

I went out and saw some apartments yesterday....my agent has discovered that the older blocks will accept pets...so we trotted off to see the older blocks...

As in HKG, older blocks normally have bigger apartments...same here....the only difference being that the apartments here are already pretty large...so instead of a huge one bedroom in a new block...for the same money I was looking at an enormous three bedroom apartment...I can't help but think that one person only needs so much space...and two kitties only need so much space...

Eventually I settled on two possibilities....one huge two bedroomed unfurnished place....and one two bedroomed, big by HKG standards but small by Manila standards, furnished place....so time to let the negotiations start....

For the unfurnished place I will have to start buying furniture...I knew I would regret not brining my bed from HKG!!!!

When I went out to view the apartments yesterday...the clouds looked ominous...thick, heavy, dark grey and looming with intent...so I thought I would jump into a cab even though the building was just around the corner.....as I did, the heavens opened...the rain was so heavy that all the traffic came to a grinding halt as nobody could see beyond the end of the front of their cars.....quite incredible...it lasted for about 15 minutes and then stopped as quickly as it started....

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Random thoughts.....

Unheard of since I arrived in Manila...two nights out in a row...

The first with work colleagues on Sunday night to the new (well relatively speaking) Crowne Plaza hotel to try their dinner buffet...particularly their Ice-cream Teppanyaki (the latest craze to hit Asia's buffets). Ice-cream Teppanyaki involves the scoops of your ice-cream of choice being flattened on a chilled teppanyaki grill and then your garnishes of choice being folded in...at this particular buffet you could choose from m&ms, crushed oreos, various cereals, nuts, shaved chocolate etc...once everything is 'folded' in..it is placed in your bowl and covered with your sauce of choice....all very gooey..but it tastes good!

And then dinner last night with a couple of Kiwis (the people, not the brown feathered things!)...it is so nice to just sit and chill out with a glass of wine and talk about not a lot!! Being Kiwis their recent election did come up as a major topic...particularly the oddities....the naked politician walk...; the rodent exterminator registered as a voter and one of the main points of discussion being their Prime Minister's mad dash to a rugby match...breaking the speed limit in the process.....for a country that doesn't often figure in the news...a fairly interesting and entertaining election!

The other subject we discussed was how we were all avid BBC news junkies! Which then took us to the radio's "World Service"....the comforting pips, the chimes of Big Ben and then the voice..."This is London"...all very reassuring! I was telling them how when I lived in Jordan as a child we were living down by the Dead Sea and at that time there was no TV reception possible so we could only listen to the radio....we used to sit round the radio in the evening (all very reminiscent of pre-TV days) and listen the World Service news, at the time - of the Falkland Island's conflict....and Brian Hanrahan's now famous line of "I counted them all out, and I counted them all back."

Have still not found somewhere to live...the latest story on the animals is one pet allowed, not two....so am now debating which cat to 'dispose' of!!!! Seriously, what difference does one more cat make?!!!

In the blogging world.....Platypus (NSFW...as it was a Friday post!!!) has taken another hiatus...again, hopefully, not for ever. Spike seems to have had a few problems with being 'found out'....Jakartass set me a link to a great blog Toast and Honey from the brief clips I have read it looks like a 'settle down and read from cover to cover with a cup of tea' blog! Thanks, Jakartass (tried to send you a mail but it bounced back..). Mia seems to be going for brevity in her posts of late....

At work we have an influx of people from headquarters...(always reminds me of that classic line from Airplane....

"You got a telegram from headquarters today."
"HEADQUARTERS?!? What is it?"
"Well, its a big building where generals meet. But that's not important right now."

the influx is resulting in frantic pulling together of presentations and the like....all in a day's work!

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a fine line between love and hate....

Looking at this picture of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, taken from the BBC....I can't quite read that look in Brown's eyes.......


Any suggestions for captions....?

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The best laid plans of mice....and bloggers...

I wanted to write a little post about rainfall....a few of my colleagues (ex HKers) and I have been debating about which city has received the most rainfall over the last three or four months...Hong Kong or Manila. Finding the Hong Kong statistics is easy...just go to the Observatory website and everything is there....finding the Manila ones is not so easy....in fact, I still can't find them....so if anyone has any suggestions as to where I could find the total rainfall in Metro Manila for June, July and August of this year (average temperature and humidity would also be good)...please let me know...

The Philippine equivalent - PAGASA does not seem to go in for keeping records available on its website...unless I am missing something completely...

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The sky is falling in....

For those of you who haven't been to Manila the streetscape here is crowded with huge billboards...along both sides of the main roads huge billboards tower above the traffic...some distracting drivers with their 'provocative' pictures...but mainly obstructing the view...

The picture below is taken from a collection of travel photos which make great browsing...
Photo by Aidan O'Rourke www.aidan.co.uk

On Tuesday, I broke free and went to Cubao (an area in Manila)...no particular reason...just thought I would do something a little different.....whilst on the MRT I looked up and saw this huge billboard towering over the train...and wondered to myself what happens during a typhoon......anyway, as of yesterday I don't need to wonder....no typhoon but the billboard decided to unburden itself onto a passing train....read all about it here

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Thought for the day....

for all those who have had or presently have Swiss colleagues or bosses!!!


In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed - but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.
Harry Lime (Orson Welles) The Third Man


I would like to point out that I spent two great years in Switzerland and have very fond memories of the country and the people, however every so often their smugness can get on my nerves!!!

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A day with two pilots....

Firstly, the JetBlue pilot who brought his plane in safely, despite a few odds

...and then this bunch of complete idiots

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Bad PR....

Hong Kong always manages to get into the news for all the wrong reasons...pollution, problems at Disneyland, the cost of living...and now....this....

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Philippine Statistics....

from today's Philippine Star - as usual I cannot find the actual article on the website...either I am just not looking properly or it is one of the worst websites for a newspaper..ever....

One out of every three Filipinos aged between six and 24 has never been to school or has dropped out of the education system, according to a government survey released yesterday.

Some 11.6 million Filipinos, or 34 percent of the country's six to 24 years-olds quit school prematurely or never receive any formal education.

and then the really damning part...

One in five "stated that they could not afford the high cost of education," the National Statistics Office 2003 survey found.


and what comes across as a slightly more positive spin on the statistics from the government's National Statistics Office

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Buy a British Tradition....

It is a sad day when one reads that the great British institution of the "Little Chef" restaurant group is up for sale again...leaving open the possibility (again) that the menu will be revamped and the historic road side 'greasy spoon' will start serving healthy food...salads (without black pudding and bacon - if you don't believe me...look here under salads!!)....ciabatta sandwiches....and worst of all consign their great fry up to the history books...

But it's all true...well it is if you believe everything you read in the papers...including the IHT.

In an age of vegetarian ciabattas and a zillion kinds of coffee, Little Chef is a processed-ham sandwich of a restaurant, a place where baked beans count as vegetables and a single slice of white bread qualifies as a side dish ($1.60 extra, butter included).

Like it or not...Little Chefs are a British dining institution...whether as a regular road side eatery (God help you!!) or as quick pit stop whilst struggling through the British road network..or as a well known hangover cure! My brother cut his 'catering teeth' at a Little Chef just down the road from my parent's house...it was his first summer job and he learnt to flip burgers and fry fish with the best of them....the establishment has since closed down...actually remarkably soon after he finished working there - he assures me it was nothing to do with him....

The ubiquitous Little Chef logo makes it one of the five most recognized brands in Britain

This review from the Guardian, probably goes someway to explaining their drop in business (not the review itself, more the experience!). However, it is not typical of all Little Chef experiences....a few years back I took my then boyfriend ( a first rate chef - also a fairly little one, come to think of it!) to the Little Chef in Lewes.....we had the traditional fry up and it was excellent...everything that should have been crispy was, everything that should have been soft and runny was and the toast was hot, crispy and multigrain...so it's not all bad...

For those of you who have never experienced a Little Chef...next time you are in the UK and drive past one...just drop in and have a salad!

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Out of sorts....

Am feeling very disgruntled at the moment...still have nowhere permanent to live, am still living out of the one suitcase I brought with me, cats have still not arrived (due to lack of housing), have only met two people outside of the work arena...so all in all am feeling very out of sorts...

Anyway, this clip of news about T.S. Eliot..lead me to reread a few of his poems - which made me smile - from "Possums book of Practical Cats"....this one is one of my favourites

Growltiger

GROWLTIGER was a Bravo Cat, who lived upon a barge;
In fact he was the roughest cat that ever roamed at large.
From Gravesend up to Oxford he pursued his evil aims,
Rejoicing in his title of "The Terror of the Thames."

His manners and appearance did not calculate to please;
His coat was torn and seedy, he was baggy at the knees;
One ear was somewhat missing, no need to tell you why,
And he scowled upon a hostile world from one forbidding eye.

The cottagers of Rotherhithe knew something of his fame,
At Hammersmith and Putney people shuddered at his name.
They would fortify the hen-house, lock up the silly goose,
When the rumour ran along the shore: GROWLTIGER'S ON THE LOOSE!

Woe to the weak canary, that fluttered from its cage;
Woe to the pampered Pekinese, that faced Growltiger's rage.
Woe to the bristly Bandicoot, that lurks on foreign ships,
And woe to any Cat with whom Growltiger came to grips!

But most to Cats of foreign race his hatred had been vowed;
To Cats of foreign name and race no quarter was allowed.
The Persian and the Siamese regarded him with fear--
Because it was a Siamese had mauled his missing ear.

Now on a peaceful summer night, all nature seemed at play,
The tender moon was shining bright, the barge at Molesey lay.
All in the balmy moonlight it lay rocking on the tide--
And Growltiger was disposed to show his sentimental side.

His bucko mate, GRUMBUSKIN, long since had disappeared,
For to the Bell at Hampton he had gone to wet his beard;
And his bosun, TUMBLEBRUTUS, he too had stol'n away-
In the yard behind the Lion he was prowling for his prey.

In the forepeak of the vessel Growltiger sate alone,
Concentrating his attention on the Lady GRIDDLEBONE.
And his raffish crew were sleeping in their barrels and their bunks--
As the Siamese came creeping in their sampans and their junks.

Growltiger had no eye or ear for aught but Griddlebone,
And the Lady seemed enraptured by his manly baritone,
Disposed to relaxation, and awaiting no surprise--
But the moonlight shone reflected from a thousand bright blue eyes.

And closer still and closer the sampans circled round,
And yet from all the enemy there was not heard a sound.
The lovers sang their last duet, in danger of their lives--
For the foe was armed with toasting forks and cruel carving knives.
Then GILBERT gave the signal to his fierce Mongolian horde;
With a frightful burst of fireworks the Chinks they swarmed aboard.
Abandoning their sampans, and their pullaways and junks,
They battened down the hatches on the crew within their bunks.

Then Griddlebone she gave a screech, for she was badly skeered;
I am sorry to admit it, but she quickly disappeared.
She probably escaped with ease, I'm sure she was not drowned--
But a serried ring of flashing steel Growltiger did surround.

The ruthless foe pressed forward, in stubborn rank on rank;
Growltiger to his vast surprise was forced to walk the plank.
He who a hundred victims had driven to that drop,
At the end of all his crimes was forced to go ker-flip, ker-flop.

Oh there was joy in Wapping when the news flew through the land;
At Maidenhead and Henley there was dancing on the strand.
Rats were roasted whole at Brentford, and at Victoria Dock,
And a day of celebration was commanded in Bangkok.

Here's hoping that Skippy-San's kitty doesn't turn out to be like Growltiger....Skimbleshanks might be a better bet....

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Uppark House

One of my little excursions whilst in the UK was to Uppark House.

Uppark is a very pleasant house with beautiful views and a lovely garden. It was built in 1690 for Lord Grey of Werke (a major protagonist in the Monmouth rebellion) and later was the scene of a classic love story between the 70 year old 'lord of the manor' and a 20 year old 'milkmaid'.....

However, the reason that the house is so worth while to visit is not only its beautiful location, situated high up on the South Downs with views down to the sea, but the fact that in 1989 it was devastated by a fire and has been completely rebuilt...the rebuilt house reopened in 1995. Amazingly most of the art and antique furniture (about 95% of the house's contents) was saved from the fire in a heroic team effort from the local fire brigade, National Trust staff and any visitors that were there at the time.

The fire started as a restoration project for the house came to an end....the restoration was due to damage from the great storm in 1987.

As you walk through the house, each room has photographs of the fire damage to the house...it really is quite incredible....even the ground floor rooms show piles of charred beams with most of them wide open to the sky through three floors of rooms. As I mentioned almost everything was saved although a Canaletto was lost.

As a direct result of the fire the National Trust updated their contractors contracts to forbid the use of oxyacetylene burners......and each National Trust property had to compile a list of the most valuable art and artefacts in the event that they had to be rescued; using the wise logic that the average fireman was not an antiques expert and as such would not recognise a genuine Old Master compared to a fake Ming vase used to fill a space on a shelf.....

Here you can see some of the fire coming through the roof.



NTPL/Ian West


Looking towards the stables from the dairy









You can just see the English Channel in the far distance


And just to be infantile...this picture was taken on the way out of the house....it kept me amused for the better part of the trip home!!!

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the secrets behind the man....

so now not only is he Hong Kong's most obnoxious expat...he's now one of the most well known



....allegedly....

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A question to the readers from Manila...

Do any of you know of any 'pet-friendly' apartment blocks in the Ortigas area (as close to Mega-Mall as possible....

So far have been told that only Emerald and the Astoria Plaza are 'pet-friendly'...

Would be grateful for any suggestions!

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From the news desk.....

I think this is a lovely story….just the sort of news I like!

Hot Stuff

Something here doesn’t ring true...

Harry is seen wearing red, white and black biker gloves, a grey T-shirt and wristbands, and with strategically-placed dirt on his forehead and chin - put there by one of Testino's assistants.
And then…..

"We had this idea - instead of making sort of fake photos - for me to be who I am," the prince said.

A Titian restored

British Gastro-tourism…seriously……

A few things spring to mind looking at these photos…..firstly – I think a bottle of fake tan would have come in useful, secondly – that must have been bloody cold and thirdly – what a shame they had to stop….

When is it acceptable to joke?

And it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong (and here) …..lanterns and mooncakes…..

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The joys of Garuda....

Reading Jakartass’ post the other day about flying in Indonesia reminded me of our flights when we lived in Indonesia….my mother experienced one incredible flight….

At the time we were living in just outside Tanjungkarang-Telekbetung(now known as Lampung)…our local airport was called Branti…...now Branti (at that time) had one major physical limitation……the runway was too short – even for the little Fokker F-28s that Garuda was flying………and at one end of the little runway was a cliff which dropped into a valley…..and yes, planes did drop off the end at a rate of about 1 a year whilst we were living there….the pilots used to point out the remains of the last aircraft when taking off from Branti….seriously!!!

Anyway….on this particular flight…my mother was scheduled to catch the 6am flight from Jakarta to Branti (the flights left on the hour, every hour during daylight….technical limitations ensured that all flight movements in and out of Branti had to be visual!) . So her flight was called and in true Garuda style there was no seating allocation so the general idea was to just leg it out onto the tarmac and push and shove your way up the stairs into the aircraft….my mother can push and shove with the best of them so she was soon seated.

The plane takes off…..reaches Branti and flies down the length of the runway (without touching down)…all perfectly clear no visual restrictions…climbs again, banks and repeats the procedure…..after this the pilot announces that “they are unable to land at Branti so will be returning to Jakarta”…..the plane returns to Jakarta and after touch down…..the cabin crew makes the following announcement “Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to Jakarta International airport, if you have any onward connections please proceed to the Garuda transfer desk …and thank you for flying Garuda we look forward to seeing you in the near future”…..wonderful company brainwashing…they haven’t actually been anywhere, all the passengers are in the wrong place….but we will make the standard announcement…

So all the passengers are then deplaned…back into the departure lounge….as my mother settles down to wait until the next flight to nowhere another expat comes up to her and says…”Didn’t I see you get on the plane about 2 hours ago”…..my mother explains….then her new friend’s flight to Denpasar is called…..he leaves…..my mother’s flight is called again…..by this time three flights full of passengers have accumulated so the mad rush to the plane is even more frantic and chaotic…..they take off, same thing….twice down the length of the runway and back to Jakarta……

My mother settles down to wait again….then the guy who had left for Denpasar comes wandering back into the departure lounge….he had experienced exactly the same thing…

They sat and chatted….then my mother’s flight is called again….by this time it is about 4:30pm….there are now about 10 planes full of passengers now ready for the scrum out to the plane….my mother yet again secures a seat (years of experience) and this time the plane makes it onto the tarmac…so a flight that normally takes about 45 minutes….ended up taking her the better part of 12 hours!

We often wonder if the guy from Denpasar actually made it back home…!

Oh the joys of Garuda!! We had many ‘great’ experiences with them….but this was the most entertaining….

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Bittersweet......

Two of my team are over in Hong Kong on a cross exposure trip. Neither of them have been to Hong Kong before.

So far they have only been gone for three days and so far they have sent about 20 photographs of things that fascinate them and pictures that they think I will like....I love getting the pictures, but it does tug at the heart strings to see things that were once so normal for me and are now rationed to every few months (hopefully).

They are away for a month....another 27 days of pictures to look foward to!

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Unspoken comments...

From today's Manila Bulletin....

The government’s communications expenses rose by almost half a billion pesos in 2004 caused largely by an increase in cellular phone use by government officials, Sen. Ralph G. Recto, chairman of the Senate ways and means committee, said yesterday.

does that include any calls made to election officials?

complete article here

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Another great divide.....

My childhood was spent growing up in various third world countries...from Guyana to Algeria to Indonesia and a few others in between....however, none of these prepared me for the huge gulf that exists between the incredibly poor and the incredibly rich in Manila....

When I see the amount of money spent on various kids birthday parties (most of which are at an age that they wont remember) and then see what exists outside these celebrations it shocks me....

The sheer scale and the level of poverty here is like nothing I have ever seen before....ever....and reading various economic reports I wonder if it will ever be resolved.....

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The Great Divide

A few British statistics....

+ If a man marries and has children there is a one-in-three chance he will lose his home and a one in ten chance of losing contact with his children
+ Men die, on average, seven years younger than women
+ The vast majority of homeless people are men
+ Three times as many men as women commit suicide

Taken from Robert Taylor's column in the IHT today.....

These statistics are used to highlight an article which shows that men are feeling the rough end of 'women's lib'....both personally and professionally.

This is obviously a fairly recent phenomenon, for hundreds of years women have been seen as men's chattels (and in some society's they still are)...I am not saying that it is good for men to suffer nor am I backing an 'eye for an eye' campaign....however, I think in some cases it has been necessary for men to realise what women have been (and some still are) up against either in the working world or in their private lives.

Taylor's article, in summary, is saying that now that men are feeling 'hard done by' (not meant to be sarcastic....just very tired and cannot think of another phrase - sorry) they realise that the only way that men's voices can be heard again is with a very visible political agenda....i.e. Fathers4Justice who pull of news making stunts such as this....in the hope that the government and thus the courts will realise a father's importance to their children...even after a divorce

So far (to the best of my knowledge - and pls correct me if I am wrong) these 'men's rights' protests are family linked and there have not been any related to discrimination in the work place....that honour still lies on women's shoulders...although fortunately things have improved dramatically - even in the 18 years I have been associated with my industry.

However, things are still not ideal.....I work in a very male dominated industry there are only a few women in the same position and upwards that I am in (and I am not that senior)...in fact within my company which has nigh on about 50 branches...the number of women in the same position or the next step up as I am, can be counted on one hand.....this is not the company holding them back it is just that it is not an ideal industry for a woman to flourish....long hours, next to zero family life and it would be a huge challenge to raise children. Please note, I am not complaining, I love my job...I'm just stating facts.

After I finish reading Taylor's article I switch to today's local paper of choice....the Philippine Inquirer...and read MLQ3's strangely relevant article....

"Today marks 68 years since Manuel L. Quezon signed the law recognizing women's suffrage"....so 68 years ago (1937) today the paperwork was signed to enable the women of the Philippines to vote......admittedly after the UK (1918 with universal suffrage in 1928) but before Malaysia (1957) and Switzerland (1971).....

My point (I know it is all rather loose....but as I said I am tired) is that women's lib is still a recent memory, fighting for the vote is still a recent memory and discrimination in the work place is still ongoing, so, yes, what Robert Taylor is writing about is tough but personally (and I am sure I will be given a hard time over this next statement) I think a small amount of it has been necessary to make men realise that women have rights to......hopefully the two sexes will settle down and a large amount of equality will fall into place so that for the next generation all things will be equal.


For a full list of dates of when women were given the vote in various countries link here. What did amaze me was that Australia (1902) and New Zealand (1893) gave their women the vote before the UK.....

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Should be compulsory reading....

Some wise advice from Caleb Cowboy via Simon World...

and...

whenever you first feel the urge to defluff yourself....anywhere...start with waxing....saves a lot of pain later in life! (that probably applies to the ladies more than the men!!)

and...

start taking responsibility for your personal finances i.e pension, early in life

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Life in Manila....

From today's South China Morning Post....


MANILA
Shadow economy

ALAN ROBLES

To be an office worker in this country, you need two sets of qualifications. First, there are the required skills: literacy, language fluency, ability to use office equipment, attitude. Second, there are the survival skills, probably best summed up in the question: how well can you sell clothes to your fellow employees?

Actually it doesn't have to be clothing. It can also be food, jewellery, books, toys and even small appliances. The important thing is to be able to sell something in order to eke out a living and survive on the typically low salary you get. At a clinic I visited, a receptionist who was offering shirts and native delicacies to her co-workers said it best: "Times are hard."

...

Office workers - overworked, underpaid, frequently commuting appalling distances through abominable traffic to get to their jobs - are the proletariat who help keep the economy afloat. The most common expression for their condition describes how a chicken eats: isang kayod isang tuka - "one scratch of the ground, one bite". In other words: hand-to-mouth. They survive through sariling sikap, or self-initiative: taking extra jobs, working long hours and buying and selling things. There was the famous story of public school teachers so hard up they sold female underwear and dried fish to their students.

...

I doubt our top officials have the same worries about making ends meet. I just can't see a cabinet meeting where the president says: "Today we're going to discuss how to best implement poverty programmes, but first - anybody want to buy this lovely brassiere?"


Complete article here(requires subscription)

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Life's merry-go round....

So.....you meet someone you like..... there's a little light flirtation....professionally - just what you are looking for....ditto - personally......a little background research on the person concerned confirms that they are single.....this being Manila a little karaoke over a few beers happens....a little more light flirtation.....the heart starts to beat just a little bit faster when you see him.....and then after a few beers the conversation turns personal.....and the background research is flawed......he's married....

there has to be a word to describe the feeling that results from that......

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News bites....

On this day in 1993....has there been any real improvement...?

My cats struggle to find their food bowl in a new home....maybe they could take lessons from Sybil

And this is not the sort of thing that one expects deep in the heart of Sloane Ranger country....

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Seeing Double

Disney Part 2...

could we not just have another shopping mall and be done with it?

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of mice and bats.....

Is it just me that can't get an updated version of The Standard on line today?....

So Disney has opened, Donald Tsang wore a Donald Duck bow tie....I wonder if he will live to regret that....it has the potential to be a PR nightmare that could come back to haunt him in the future...Unfortunately the one day of the year that the press is focused on HKG...the air pollution hits an all year high.

lovely clear skies over Disney....


Over on this side of the South China Seas....the government is wanting to sell off the Marcos jewels; the Philippine Star reports this morning that Imelda may bid for them if she so desires......mainly because the government realises that the international auction houses cannot prohibit anyone from participating in an auction...

Middle East history....I hope the Palestinians use it wisely....a good opportunity to prove to the world that they are a 'state' in the making...

Britain so rarely wins major sporting events....that when it does (or draws!) the victory is that much sweeter! After 18 years the Ashes come back!!

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12th September 2005

Hong Kong Disneyland opens today.



I chose the above picture as little reminder of the history behind our very own Disneyland! At the risk of copying everyone else...Mickey is the one on the right....

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Where was the Ark when New Orleans needed it?

another aspect of Katrina

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Identity Crisis....

Copied from the SCMP's website...

People >> More
Personal effects: Claudia Gotto
From his fragrance to favourite piece of furniture, there are things you want to know more about fashion designer Claudio Grotto, writes Helen Wu.


so which is it....?

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Saturday news....

Jiaotong university in Shanghai is now offering an MBA in temple management. The course covers subjects such as corporate strategy and religious product marketing, required reading includes Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War'...

Interesting coincidence...GWB has given Condoleezza Rice her latest mission. This comes hot on the heels of these comments from Colin Powell...

My Jordanian ex-colleague who had to abandon his attempt to climb Everest, has just scaled the twin peaks of Russia's Mount Elbrus....from today's Jordan Times (link lasts a week)

After a difficult start to the year, which included being medevaced from the side of Mount Everest, Jordan's only professional mountaineer, Mustafa Mahmoud, successfully scaled the highest mountain in Europe on Monday, reaching the peak at 12:30pm Russia time.

Mahmoud is the only Jordanian ever to have climbed the twin peaks of Russia's Mount Elbrus, successfully scaling its full 18,510 feet after a gruelling 10-day ascent.

Reaching the peak was a double victory for Mahmoud, who very nearly became the first ever Jordanian to reach the summit of Mount Everest in March this year — as well as almost becoming the first Jordanian to die there. With only a day's climb left to reach the top of the world's highest mountain, Mahmoud began to vomit blood after an ulcer in his stomach burst. Unable to eat or drink and barely able to walk, he still had to be forbidden to make the final ascent by his guide.


Mountaineer Mustafa Mahmoud holds up the Jordanian flag on the summit of Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, on Monday (Photo courtesy Mustafa Mahmoud)

And HK Disney's PR 'machine' will have to jump into action again...with these articles about employee discontent and a lack of awareness of hygiene issues

On a more light hearted note, on the subject of Colin Powell....a few years back my flat mate and I were down enjoying a weekend at the Dead Sea...as we were checking out she finished up first and went and settled down with a newspaper (at the time it was the build up for the Iraq War)....whilst I was finishing up the checking out procedure she says to me..."I really like that Colin Powell"....my response, "Yes, I do to"...her next comment...."He's obviously such a bad boy...you know he'd be up for anything"....confused, I turned around and looked at her..."Well I wouldn't have described him quite like that, I was talking more about his mind and intelligence...but whatever floats your boat"....her turn to look confused..."Don't really know too much about his mind...just like the semi-naked pictures".....at this point I realised we had a serious difference of opinion...so I asked..."We are talking about the US Secretary of State?"........she laughed..."No,...Colin Farrell"!!!

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Disconcerting...

I don't often remember my dreams...last night I know I had a dream but I couldn't tell you what it was about, I could tell you who it was about....all I know is that I woke up this morning feeling that someone else should have been there next to me....and the fact that he wasn't has left me feeling a little out of sorts...

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Just around the corner...

from my house in Hong Kong....was this

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Words that haunt me...

Whilst I was working in Jordan I had a fairly....actually, very, tempestuous (working) relationship with my General Manager....love/hate just doesn't begin to describe it....

I remember at the end of one of our more vicious arguments which included the usual shouting and name calling he said to me:

...."Remember this moment...because I want to tell you....you'll never have it as good again as you do here".....

I made no comment and threw him a fairly filthy look as I walked out the room....my thoughts as I returned to 'base' as we called our office....were along the lines of "That little shit hasn't a clue how desperate I am to get out of here and how wrong he was with that comment....it can only get better..."

Whilst I endured my rather mundane job in Hong Kong I remembered his comment, when I had dull days in Hong Kong I remembered his comment...when I discovered that my new job, although good and challenging, was not quite what I expected I remembered his comment...and now that I realise that all my colleagues disappear home to their families in the evenings I remember.....

Tonight it really came back to haunt....as I pottered around my office I had my iPod playing and one rather naff song came on..."Tragedy"....the more recent version...by Steps I think it is........my ex-flat mate and work colleague in Jordan used to go out exploring in Jordan at the weekends....she wouldn't drive so that was my job....her job was to organise the rather dodgy cassette player and to entertain....(map reading is not necessary in Jordan...see here, if you want to know what I mean!) One day the cassette player decided to fail...it was during the long Dead Sea-Amman climb....so we switched on the radio....and "Tragedy" was playing...immediately she launched into this whole series of dance moves (had to be seen to be believed in a car!!) I was laughing so much I had to pull over and stop.......we opened the car doors, music up loud and sat and watched as the sun set over the Dead Sea and the West Bank......

After that we managed to get hold of a cassette with the song on...and on long car trips...that was our entertainment.....I hadn't heard that song since I left Jordan in 2003.....until this evening...

And yes, loathe as I am to admit it.....and I would never admit it to him....my GM was right...since then I haven't had it so good....

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Odds and Sods....

If the current problems with fish and seafood in Hong Kong continue...may I suggest that you start buying more bread, in particular from thisbakery!

And Hong Kong's latest baby (registration required) is born. And obviously the hotel business is particularly entertaining!..."I make no apology for being a detail freak. I am a monomaniac," said William Mackay yesterday. "Those of us working in this business are so fortunate to do such a multifaceted job that boredom is simply impossible - if I didn't enjoy it so much, it would have killed me years ago." However, reading through the rest of the article from the SCMP...I don't think that the latest Mandarin hotel - The Landmark will be too chuffed with this line...."The last top-tier hotel to open was the Ritz-Carlton in 1993."

And I never realised how smug Norwegians could be!!! Seriously though, it does sound rather nice!!

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In which Hemlock makes me homesick....

From today's post....

"She turns to the window and surveys Hong Kong’s majestic harbour nestling in the drifting sulphur dioxide mist. “On a clear day,” I tell her, “you can see the respirable suspended particulates.”"

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Some amusing...some not so amusing...

My quick daily read of the blogs started me off at Blog the Talk...the first line I saw of their latest post was...

it sounds like an interesting talk about the world's best paid rodent and what he's had to do to get there

..and honestly as I read it, the following crossed my mind...."I don't think he's paid that much since March - speaking of which he isn't actually there any more and how odd; to the best of my knowledge Stefan and Dave have never been that blunt about critising Tung Chee-hwa". As I moved up the post to read it properly the error of my thoughts dawned on me....but I did smile!!!

And for the not so amusing...my newspaper of choice today was the IHT

Reading Nicholas Kristof's article entitled "The larger shame behind New Orleans"..the following clips left me open mouthed...

"The Census Bureau reported a few days ago that the poverty rate rose again last year, with 1.1 million more Americans living in poverty in 2004 than a year earlier. After falling sharply under Bill Clinton, the number of poor people has now risen 17 percent under Bush.

If it's shameful that we have bloated corpses on New Orleans streets, it's even more disgraceful that the infant mortality rate in America's capital is twice as high as in China's capital. That's right - the number of babies who died before their first birthdays amounted to 11.5 per thousand live births in 2002 in Washington, compared with 4.6 in Beijing.

....

One dispiriting element of Katrina was the looting. I covered the 1995 earthquake that leveled much of Kobe, Japan, killing more than 6,000, and for days I searched there for any sign of criminal behavior. Finally I found a resident who had seen three men steal food. I asked him whether he was embarrassed that Japanese would engage in such thuggery.

"No, you misunderstand," he said firmly. "These looters weren't Japanese. They were foreigners."

I do realise that with regards to the Beijing figures it is highly possible that the Chinese reporting of the figures could be a little "skewed"...However....

If you would like you can read the entire article here


the other article from the IHT that I found interesting was about this blog and in particular this post.

"At the risk of being alarmist, we could be three-four days away from an unprecedented cataclysm that could kill as many as 100,000 people in New Orleans," Brendan Loy, who is 23 and has no formal meteorological training, wrote on Aug. 26 in his blog, irishtrojan.com.

"If I were in New Orleans, I would seriously consider getting the hell out of Dodge right now, just in case."

Loy's posting that Friday afternoon came three days before the hurricane struck and two days before the mayor of New Orleans, C. Ray Nagin, issued an evacuation order"

...hurricane Katrina pages (up to August 30th) from Irishtrojan here

...complete article here


And finally...also from the IHT...two books that look like they could be worth reading...if anyone has read them and agrees or disagrees, please let me know....

The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq by John Crawford

and

Love My Rifle, More Than You by Kayla Williams and Michael E. Staub

complete reviews here

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A little news...

So the impeachment against GMA has been rejected....

there has been confirmation that Garci dropped by in Singapore not once, but twice...most recently on the 14th August....he apparently flew in on a Subic Air Lear Jet.....original rumours had it that he flew in the baggage area....he then flew out on a SQ flight....the Department of Foreign Affairs is now looking into the rumours that he went on to either the US, Britain or Malaysia. Now, I realise that greater powers than The Philippines have 'lost track' of other people but this does all seem quite odd....

And PAL are making plans for when the new airport terminal (NAIA-3) opens - allegedly this will be in November...should I get excited, is it possible that the next time I go back to HKG I wont have to suffer through that airport....I think not!

The Employer's Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) is going to start distributing condoms to its workers in a bid to protect 'productivity'...

.... employers have observed that pregnancies among female workers result in a reduction of their production capacity

....ECOP and other business groups have decided to take the step as part of its "corporate responsibility" because the government lacks a comprehensive national policy on population management.

"Due to the absence of comprehensive national policy on population management, the situation is not getting better, (while) poverty and unemployment remained unmitigated," he said.



Apologies, however cannot link to story about Garci or the new terminal opening as cannot find them on The Philippine Star website.

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The perils of alcohol!!

Those that read my scribbles fairly regularly will remember that a few weeks back in HKG I blogged whilst 'slightly' under the influence....for those of you who don't read regularly for 'slightly' read....'that much under the influence that I posted and didn't realise until a friend mentioned it to me about 12 hours later....and even then I still couldn't remember what I had written'!!! Oh the joys of Lan Kwai Fong!!

Unfortunately as well as writing that post I also answered an e-mail...... at least with 'blogging under the influence' one can retrieve the post...retrieving e-mails written under the influence is slightly more challenging....read, impossible!

The e-mail was a link to this blog......no idea if they'll ever read it...but suffice it to say there has been and will be a certain amount of self censorship on these pages....only really thought of it this evening as the post I was going to write I have deemed 'censorable' (if there is such a word!!)

It was quite odd actually pulling posts off the site....it felt like watching a tortoise retreat into its shell....

So much for anonymity!!!

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Snippets....

Something that had never crossed my mind...from Blog the Talk

This, from Flying Chair made me smirk!!

On the same subject, from Nude King....a few sound words of advice!

And this makes my blood boil....not good this early on in the day....(should clarify...what makes me mad is the Christian perspective on Katrina...nothing that Torn and Frayed has written)


Book suggestion.....The Insider - The private diaries of a scandalous decade by Piers Morgan....ok, admittedly the guy is a bit of a twat...but in his defence and in no particular order...he is good looking, he had a fascinating job about which he has written and he writes well....in addition to all that when he was a complete arse he admitted it! I thought it was a very good read...one of those books that I felt disappointed when I finished.

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Slightly different...

On a day off when one is feeling pretty rough...the only thing for it is to go to the movies....

I wander over to the MegaMall and go to the cinema..."Must love dogs" is on...I go to buy a ticket....I ask when the next showing is...."5:10" she says, "But it's 5:40 now" I say...."It's ok...it just runs continuously...go in whenever you like" she says......

Now that has to be the oddest system I have ever come across....basically you can go in and watch the movie from half way in until the end...and then just sit there and watch the beginning up to when you came it....quite bizarre....

It was a huge cinema...there must have been about 7 people in there - total. Two women came in and sat right in front of me....and talked the whole way through....eventually I couldn't stand it anymore....I leant forward,,,,,"Excuse me, there's a very nice coffee shop downstairs, maybe next time you want to chat you could go there".....I was on the receiving end of a couple of filthy looks....but it worked....

Last time I go the cinema at MegaMall.....Shang Mall cinema for me from now on....much more civilised!!!

Oh, and whilst I am on a MegaMall rant.....the people who own PowerBooks should now that pairing a book store with Tower Records is a spectacularly bad idea.....book shops should be at least vaguely peaceful....not pounding, ear blasting pits of noise.....

Not a great afternoon!!!!

So home to The West Wing...Season 1....Good stuff!!!

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The tables have turned....

From today's Philippine Star....

The government will send a 25-member team of aid workers to the United States to help assist victims of hurricane Katrina, Malacanang announced yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross will send $25,000 in aid to the victims and will start a fund drive for them.

I have very mixed feelings about this.....

...I realise that the world is horrified by what has happened, what is still ongoing and what is still to come in the southern States, I realise that the world is trying to now do its part and help the 'Friendly Giant' that comes to the aid of others so willingly, I realise that the Philippines has a strong tie to the US and as such I can see it wants to do its part to help....I applaud the reaction of sending aid workers....

However, I cannot help but feel that the $25,000 would be of much greater use at home in The Philippines.....is that callous or small minded and am I missing a bigger picture here?

The Philippines is not alone in its generosity...other countries who are normally recipients of aid from the US are also being incredibly generous and offering money and help....even Cuba is offering to pitch in....

It shows a tremendous side of humanity that these third world, poverty stricken nations are so willing to do what they can....


Another statistic from my economic briefing the other day (please note - I am not an economist..and even more importantly I did not take the dates of the following stats).....the poverty line is PHP13,823 per annum per person (about US$250)....33.7% of the Philippine population lives below this line....as a little back up this article from the Manila Times will give you some further reading on an ADB report into poverty in the Philippines

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Blogging anonymity....

the other day I made some comment about blogging behind a 'vague' veil of anonymity which makes one possibly more likely to make comments one generally wouldn't...

I used the word 'vague' because there are a few people out there who know me very well and who know that I blog...people that I trust not to spread the word....

....one such friend lives in HKG (lets call her Friend A) and we share a mutual friend (let's call her Friend B - who doesn't know about my alter ego!) who divides her time between HKG and the Philippines..... Friend A called me this evening and asked how my cough and cold were....I asked her how she knew about it as I hadn't spoken or e-mailed her since I arrived back in Manila....she told me that Friend A had told her.....at the end of the conversation I realised that I hadn't actually told Friend A that either....however, Friend A reads my blog!!!!! It did make me smile!

I then realised that I could save myself an awful lot of e-mailing by just starting up another blog...one suitable for all to read and just put my digestable news up on there.....food for thought!

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Christopher Robin went down with Alice....*

Just found some more pictures of my time in the UK...so my last post was not the last UK related post - there will be a few more!!!

On my last day we went up to London...

We started with morning coffee at the Ritz, after having had my father suitably attired in a loaned jacket (judging by the size of the jacket they are either used to catering to the larger American crowd or they were expecting him to consume vast quantities of food!)we settled in the lobby for morning coffee....we ordered two cappucinos and a tea..my mother then decided she was a little 'peckish' and asked for scones...the waiter kindly informed her that scones were not available until 12 noon and the time was now only 11:25am. The waiter left, and then another member of staff came over and asked if we were having 'afternoon tea'...we declined, however professional curiosity got the better of me so I ambled over to have a look and ask a few questions....I was passed a menu to take a look at with some details about reservations...two things caught my eye...the first being that the menu includes...

Freshly Baked Raisin and Apple Scones
with Devonshire Clotted Cream and organic Strawberry Preserve

the second being that

There are five sittings every day (11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm 5.30pm and at 7.30pm we offer a 'Champagne Afternoon Tea').

yes...one can have scones at 11:30am with afternoon tea...but elsewhere (literally 6 steps away) scones are not available until 12noon...and this is at The Ritz....incredible! Anyway, we settled for some homemade shortbread which was quite pleasant.

So back to Buckingham Palace....the Queen was at Balmoral and as "usual" as a result of her enjoying her summer holidays, the State Rooms were open...and they really were quite incredible. The tour is good - headphone guided tour (with a little intro from HRH Charlie Boy), but I would like to have had some more info on the paintings...both the portraits and the scenes.. Walking through the rooms and looking at the artefacts one is reminded of just how Germanic our Royal history is and also how Queen Victoria managed to populate the majority of the European royal families!

Her marriage to Prince Albert brought nine children between 1840 and 1857. Most of her children married into other Royal families of Europe.

Edward VII (born 1841), married Alexandra, daughter of Christian IX of Denmark. Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1844) married Marie of Russia. Arthur, Duke of Connaught (born 1850) married Louise Margaret of Prussia. Leopold, Duke of Albany (born 1853) married Helen of Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Victoria, Princess Royal (born 1840) married Friedrich III, German Emperor. Alice (born 1843) married Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Helena (born 1846) married Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Louise (born 1848) married John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll. Beatrice (born 1857) married Henry of Battenberg.


One of HM's outdoor lights!


a view not often seen, the rear view of Buckingham Palace...


After lunch we headed out of town towards Heathrow and settled on lunch at The Runnymede Hotel, by the River Thames and under the Heathrow flight path! Being a family a tad more obsessed with aircraft than any other form of transport made being under the flight path that much more interesting! The hotel was actually surprisingly pleasant and the sandwiches for lunch were amongst the best I have ever had! Typically for lunch in English eating establishments, lunch stops at 2:30pm...and suddenly only sandwiches are available..anyway...they were good!

Runnymede is a very historic site in England, for it was at Runnymede that probably the greatest document in English history was signed...none other than the Magna Carta.

Also at Runnymede...and this I didn't know....there is an acre of land that was given to the US government in memory of JFK....picture - here

Messing about on the River(Thames)




Up, up and away...take off from LHR



* For those of you unaware of where the title quote comes from....see below, as my mother rightly said...'it is just a little suggestive'!!

Buckingham Palace

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
Alice is marrying one of the guard.
"A soldier's life is terribly hard,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We saw a guard in a sentry-box.
"One of the sergeants looks after their socks,"
Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We looked for the King but he never came.
"Well, God take care of him, all the same,"
Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
They've great big parties inside the grounds.
"I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds,"
Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's.
"He's much too busy a-signing things,"
Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
"Do you think the King knows all about me?"
"Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea,"
Says Alice

A.A. Milne

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The Wedding...

Last update on my time in the UK...my brother's wedding...


The Church....


The Reception....


The Gardens....



The Table....

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Two days in London

Catching the train from deepest, darkest Sussex took me back to when I was about 16 and escaping from boarding school to Tunbridge Wells or even more exciting, London. Wadhurst was our local station and sitting on the station platform in the pouring train took me back a good 20 years to a group of girls over-excited at the prospect of a few hours of freedom!


One thing I love about traveling by train into London is the glimpses between buildings of buildings which are so iconic for London…..in this case, Tower Bridge….


And so to the John Ritblat collection at the British Library to pour over such delights as Scott’s last diary entry, letters from Elizabeth I, lyrics and doodles from the Beatles, The original ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and lots of other literary treasures…..


On to the Reading Room at the British Museum







St Paul's
....took these whilst the bells were ringing, in all the time I have spent in London I have never heard the bells being rung.






Temple Bar
a little history and a little commentary, personally I agree with the Guardian's comments...considering what a significant piece of history it is...it really is in the most awful place....


England's Warrior Queen Boudicea


And to Vinopolis for dinner at
Cantina….as one would expect for a restaurant like this….the wine list was extensive…as were the wines on the blackboards!





And finally, looking across the Thames to St. Paul’s at night….

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Random thoughts and events...

Being back in Manila is a little strange...I was here for such a short time before I left that I didn't really have time to settle...so I find myself coming 'home' (as it were) to no real home, no personal effects, no cats...all rather strange!

When I landed at Manila airport I mentally took a deep breath in anticipation of the struggle through immigration, baggage collection...out of the airport etc....but was incredibly, pleasantly surprised...I was off the plane and out of the airport in just under 20 minutes...something that CLK achieves on a regular basis but I had never dreamed possible in Manila.

So back to conversations about the politics and economics in The Philippines....

first up...yesterday at work we had a briefing forecasting the economic status of The Philippines for the next six months...I found it interesting...my colleagues found it 'embarassing'..(I put quote marks around the word because so many of my colleagues used the word)....they felt that it proved what a mess the country was in, how little influence they personally had over the future of the country and probably worst of all the fact that the slightest event (either worldwide or local) could influence their economy.

Then today at lunch a discussion about tourism in The Philippines and why more people don't come and visit and why it is not as attractive to Europeans/Americans as say Thailand and Malaysia....one point we thought of that was very important was that most great 'tourist' countries have a great 'gateway'....think Thailand - Bangkok, China - Beijing/Shanghai or even HKG, Malaysia - KL, Australia - Sydney....all major cities that attract people to the country.....the Philippines has Manila...with nothing to offer the traveller other than a few small colonial relics.

The discussion then moved onto politics (find me one discussion that doesn't!) and we decided that the only hope for The Philippines was to bring in a foreigner as president (actually someone mentioned as a 'dictator'!)..one that has no ties with the country, no political links and no hidden agenda...my vote went to Bill Clinton...but then...it would!!!!

On the subject of the economic briefing...one part really interested me...that was the brief section they covered on the number of nationals working overseas (7.7 million, approx. 10% of the population) , where they were working (Asia & the ME) and how much money they sent back (US$8.5 billion in 2004)and how many leave daily (3,000). With the growth of the call centre industry - 1,500 nationals employed in call centres in 2000, to 120,000 nationals in 2005 - it really does go to show that The Philippines' greatest 'natural' resource comes from its people.

My brother's wedding...was a wonderful day, the bride looked stunning...I know most brides do...but she looked 'extra' stunning, the 'Best Men' were fantastic - excellent speeches & excellent organisation, the Bridesmaid...well she looked good...but unfortunately was mad as a box of frogs...quite unhinged! It was fantastic to meet all my brother's friends from school, university and work...all of which I had heard of but none of which I had met....all an incredibly well travelled bunch so the lunch conversation was definitely one of 'one upmanship'...also entertaining to hear the other side of my brother's life...most of which was not particularly surprising...I have known for sometime that he has low alcohol tolerance which can result in some rather serious redecoration of bedrooms and bathrooms!

One story was from one of his work colleagues who told of meeting my brother just after he started working in London after leaving Hong Kong...she mentioned the Cathay model planes lined up on top of his computer, the mini HKG flag, the SCMP mug, the HKG screensaver and HKG mousepad...I didn't really realise the significance of all of this until I returned to work and saw that my desk has exactly the same things...(exceptions being that my mousepad and mug are from D.C. and one of my aircraft displays the Royal Jordanian livery!)...family traits - possibly, an irrational love for HKG - definitely!!!


And finally, my trip to England has shown that a few of you actually all come from my parent's neck of the woods (East Sussex)...so far we have Pembury (HKMacs) and Heathfield(Jakartass) - which is about two minutes away and my parents local shopping place....are there any more of you out there!

I have a post to go in on some pictures of London and other bits and pieces I managed whilst in Blighty...I will put them up sometime over the next few days.

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When I wrote my previous post about the abject chaos and sheer awfulness that has befallen the Gulf Coast and in particular New Orleans...I was referrring to the fact that I was confused as to how the world's most powerful nation could not react more quickly and more effectively to this disaster...I was not referring to the evil behaviour of the band of people roaming the streets and taking advantage of the hungry, thirsty, bereft and homeless citizens....then I read the comment from Stefan and Dave...

"It's very sad. It seems to prove the point of the original Calvinist Puritans, or Thomas Hobbes, that believed that man is fundamentally evil. Certainly my faith in humanity is shaken."

It really made me think....obviously I have a fundamental lack of faith in the human race as the awful behaviour of the few was something that I almost expected and have been surprised that so much has been made of it - I can't believe how awful that sounds and equally how awful I feel realising that...I honestly cannot say what it is that has made me that cynical or untrusting...however, thanks for the comment...it certainly made me realise that my outlook on life is very skewed.

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New Orleans...

It seems incredible that the forces of nature (granted, they were incredibly powerful) can reduce parts of the world's most powerful nation to this

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Guilty as charged...

Nancy Kissel....now maybe the HKG press can go back to reporting something really worthwhile...such as what food products are actuall safe to eat (not many), what Disneyland's next PR faux pas will be (should be soon) and what colour Donald Tsang's bow tie will be tomorrow (anyone's guess but at least we know he will be talking to his fish)....

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This weird cyberworld we inhabit....

This morning I have taken a little bit of time out due to feeling like death warmed up and as a result am catching up properly with the blogs I missed whilst I was away, it's always interesting to catch up after a while...particularly in this part of the world where everyone seems to be so nomadic!

I am pleased to see that Stefan and Dave over at Blog the Talk are thinking of including Singapore in their scope of operations (although as they say...'how' is still to be defined)...Singapore is one of my favourite cities in Asia and has a great history which I am sure so many tourists are unaware of. Also thanks for the nice comments, although I don't know if 'wearing my heart on my sleeve' is something that people in the 'real world' would say to describe me!! Obviously writing behind a vague veil of anonmity is helpful.

And to Jakartass...thanks also for the comment...I am flattered that you lifted the post in it's entirety....but am 100% sure you could have found it better said elsewhere...and also thanks for the heads up on the Joho plug...I am incredibly lazy and never look at my tracker so am usually unaware of who is visiting me!

One of my favourite posts of my catch up is from Platypus obviously his move to Singapore has not inhibited his ability to make people think....

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Where is Garci...?

One thing that has been bothering me...and I just reminded myself of it as I was tucked up in bed....

Whilst I have been out of town I have lost track on the latest supposed whereabouts of Garci...he, of the dodgy phonecall...

Whilst searching around the net for an answer I found this article which gives us the option of thinking that Garci flew out of the Philippines in the cargo section of a Lear Jet....

Can anyone enlighten me or are his whereabouts still unknown to everyone else as well...

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Be warned....

this is a trivial post...mainly because it amuses me...and also because the combination of jet lag and a streaming cold (the joys of modern air travel) have put me in a rather trivial mood...

HKG at the moment seems to be suffering from major 'fish' problems i.e. a shortage of healthy fresh fish...now somewhere in the back of my mind I seem to remember a rather expensive fish pond being built somewhere in Central...could the one not solve the other...

so, I have said my piece...and will now retire to nurse my cold...hopefully tomorrow I may be able to breathe and hear...!!!

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Back to reality....and it's not good....

The news at the moment is awful....what with the deaths in Iraq and the overall picture that is now being revealed of what Katrina did to the Southern States, I am finding it hard to watch the news. Sometimes reality is not a good thing. Watching the two news stories unfold one has to question who (if there is such a thing?) is the greater being that deems it necessary to unleash such horrifying events.

The status of New Orleans at the moment is very difficult to look at...I spent a wonderful few days there some years ago and since then it has always been a city that I remember fondly and promote to anyone who is looking for good fun and great food Stateside. I find it very hard to think of what it is like at the moment and in particular how long it will take to return to normality.

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