Tiaong Archive Blog

Waiting for My Work To Residence Visa

2006-01-13T02:57:00.000+08:00

How different would it be, really, to live in New Zealand? A paradise, they all say. A beautiful country--with snow! And jobs! I watch them on television, those Pinoys in New Zealand. They could be in any European country, with snow.

Two officemates told me about the TV show, Pinoy Abroad, on channel 7 last Wednesday night. They're featuring New Zealand, they said. It must be a sign.

Last year, channel 7 had another show on New Zealand, when they followed the Filipino mountaineers who were training there, in preparation for their 2007 Mount Everest climb. This time, they showed Filipinos actually living there. Lots of nurses, an office assistant, a politician, an architect. Most of the Filipinos are in Auckland. And there's a small Rizal Reserve (at Wingate, Avondale, Auckland), courtesy of the Philippine Embassy and former President Estrada.

Last Friday, my Visa Officer told me that she "recommended my WTR Application for approval". What does that mean? my wife asked. I'm not sure, I said, but it sounds positive. Processing was supposed to have taken two months, so I should have received my visa last November. Their new promise is end of February. Or earlier.

"Sayang," said my friend, who's now in Wellington. "There's an immediate requirement in my company for a project manager."

I would love to jump to the conclusion that we got it. But the wait has been too long and too agonizing for me to do any jumping. If I had my way, I should have been in Christchurch three months ago--that was the plan. I could have been there last December. That was the hope.

So I won't believe anything until our passports are in our shaking hands, each with that infamous WTR visa.

Meanwhile, dozens of WTR Applicants have actually been approved and are now in New Zealand, mostly in Auckland. Some have jobs, some are still looking. Some have generously shared their experience at the Backpack New Zealand Forum on Immigration & Working.

Here are some things we learned from them for this final step:

1. Waiting Game

In most cases, if you have passed the interview and have been invited to apply for a Work To Residence visa, then all you have to do is to complete the application and wait.

For a lot of us, it has been a very long wait--so long that rumors about people who actually got a visa have been treated as urban legends. Always secondhand, thirdhand information. But in the last few months, one by one, members of our online forum began to share the news that they got their visa.

About ten people shared the key dates of their journey. Based on their experience, I came up with some averages. From interview to getting the WTR visa, it takes 194 days (six and half months). From submitting the WTR application to getting the visa, it takes 134 days (four and half months).

Applying this to my situation, I should have gotten my WTR visa somewhere between December 9 and 20, last year. Finally, a mathematical justification for my impatience.

2. Approval Letter

The WTR visa is a blue sticker, with specific details: valid for two (2) years, no restrictions on type of work, where you work or live, and no requirement for a return ticket.

When you receive your passports (via DHL), it will come with an approval letter, brochures, and info about your K.I.T. (keeping in touch) officer. Plus your bank certificates.

3. CFO Sticker

There have been questions whether the CFO sticker is required or not. One person even recommended not attending the one-day registration and orientation. But someone said that the immigration officer in our airport will look for this sticker before letting you board your plane. Another one said that Quantas Airways will give you a hefty 40-kilo baggage allowance if you have this sticker.

My opinion: get the sticker. This is proof that you are a migrant, if nothing else.

CFO stands of Commission on Filipinos Overseas, a government agency created in 1980 tasked to "promote the welfare and interests of Filipinos overseas". They help Filipinos migrate to other countries. Therefore, before we buy our plane ticket and pack our luggage, we need to complete the CFO's Pre-Departure Registration and Orientation Seminars:

"Filipino emigrants or those leaving the country to settle permanently abroad are required to register with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). Part of its registration requirements is attendance in the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) to prepare them for settlement overseas."

More:

"Country-specific pre-departure orientation seminars are conducted for departing Filipino emigrants to address their adjustment concerns in their destination countries.... CFO issues a counseling certificate as proof that the applicant has attended the guidance and counseling session."

What you need to bring: passport with visa, approval letter, photocopies, a ball-point pen, and--just in case--ID photos.

4. Plane Ticket

Remember, it's a one-way ticket.

Chantal Kreviazuk sang a memorable rendition of John Denver's "Leaving On A Jet Plane" for the soundtrack of the 1998 Bruce Willis movie, Armageddon. For this step, you should also sing this song.

Four airlines offer flights from Manila to Auckland: Cathay Pacific (via Hongkong) and Qantas Airways (via Sydney, Singapore, or Hongkong), Singapore Airlines (via Singapore), Thai Airways (via Bangkok).

You can also go to Hongkong and get an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland.

Tickets will probably cost at about 500.00-650.00 USD pax. The trip can last anywhere between 12-26 hours, because of all the connecting flights.

5. Luggage

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go/I'm standin' here outside your door/I hate to wake you up to say goodbye"

This is another topic with conflicting opinions: You can exceed by a few kilos, so long as your baggage meets the required size. You will pay 22.00 USD per kilo for excess baggage. Migrants are allowed an excess of 10 kilos. Airlines allows a maximum of 30 kilos, even if the stated limit is only 20 kilos.

In my case, I don't plan on bringing a lot of things there at the beginning, because I plan to stay at cheap places, lugging my luggage. The lighter the better. 20 kilos is more than enough.

What you must bring to New Zealand:

- sweatshirts, long sleeves
- sandals, running shoes, nice shoes (for interviews)
- lots of sun block lotion
- pair of shades
- toothbrush, toothpaste
- nail cutter
- ear buds, cotton
- towels
- maintenance drugs or medication
- medical kit
- driver's license
- 1x1, 2x2 photos
- original documents
- photocopies of your documents (size A4)
- CDs of my personal data files
- stationary supplies
- family photos
- contact numbers

6. Money and Banking

Everyone recommends ASB Bank, a very old bank, like our own BPI. Auckland Savings Bank, as it was previously named, was established in 1847. It is now completely owned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. ASB is part of the Cirrus network, which is available in most ATM networks in Metro Manila.

You need 500.00 NZD to open a bank account. You do not need a permanent address to open a bank account. Credit cards are hard to get in New Zealand (ASB requires a 5,000.00 NZD deposit).

Everyone also recommends bringing New Zealand dollars instead of US dollars, to save on the currency conversion.

7. Mobile Phones

You will need two (2) mobiles phones. Dual band phones will work in New Zealand. One phone is for your Globe with international roaming, and the second phone is for a Vodafone Prepay SIM pack.

Do not get the Telecom SIM pack. Telecom does not allow text messaging to the Philippines.

Here's how it works: Send text messages to the Philippines with the Vodafone, at 0.20 NZD per text message (about 8.00 PHP). Then receive text messages from the Philippines with the Globe phone, at 1.00 PHP per text message.

Your also need your Vodafone for your job hunting. Prospective employers will need to contact you on your Vodafone number.

8. PR Visa

Once you land in New Zealand, you have one goal: get your Permanent Resident visa.

First, you need to get a permanent address, so your KIT officer can update your profile in the NZIS database. Then you need a permanent job (ongoing skilled employment), not contractual work.

The approval letter states: "Once you are established in ongoing skilled employment for a period of at least three months you must let NZIS know. If your employment meets the criteria for Skilled Employment you will have demonstrated an ability to settle in and contribute to New Zealand and will have your application for residence under the Skilled Migrant Category approved. You do not need to wait for two years before having your residence application reassessed."

An "ongoing skilled employment" needs proof:

- A letter advising the NZIS that you are in ongoing skilled employment and requesting that you be granted residence.

- A letter from your employer. This letter should confirm that you are employed by the firm, that your employment is not subject to any form of probationary period. It should also provide contact details and the physical address of your workplace.

- An employment contact.

- A job description.

- Pay slips for the last 3 months of your employment or equivalent evidence.

- A summary of your earnings in New Zealand from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) for the last two years.

SALAMAT

Most of the information above was posted in the Backpack New Zealand Forum by snooze, corex, jpe, and kidra_tristal. I thank them for being generous with their experience. I hope to meet them one day.

I would also like to mention the names other forum members who have been helpful: allan, cathey, ella, han, jmpa3cio, jvic59, Kapamilya, lucie, parvo, rainman, romlet, tolitz, tslacsamana, vdycong. Magkita-kita tayo sa Aotearoa.

Imagining Tiaong, Part One

2005-09-25T02:25:00.000+08:00

There's only one place in the world that is called Tiaong. It's my hometown in Quezon Province where I spent my childhood.

In college, my friends would say, "What's in Tiaong? Take us there!"

Coconut trees, coconut farmers, coconut trucks, copra, and food made from coconuts (pan de coco, macapuno). Villa Escudero. That's it.

If I think harder, I can force some more: Tikob Lake and the old church. I can even squeeze blood from a rock: Don Claro's monument, a hot spring (Mainit), a gravel mine, an old cemetery, the local market, and train tracks cutting through rice fields.

There's Gisgis in the next town, a black sand beach on Tayabas Bay. Farther down, there's Sariaya (land of Mazapan pasalubong), Lucban (kiping kingdom), and Lucena City.

I never took my friends to Tiaong. There's nothing to see.

When I was growing up, Tiaong was never considered a tourist spot. It was a town you passed by on the highway (National Road) on your way to places like Lucena, Gumaca, or Bicol. In college, when I took the bus from Quezon City to Tiaong, it would stop in Tiaong for a few seconds, only for me, so I can jump off.

Tiaong is about 100 kilometers South of Metro Manila, exactly 115 kilometers from Diliman, Quezon City. On the border of Laguna and Quezon, right after San Pablo City. Do you know Villa Escudero?

You know you're in Tiaong when you are greeted by that indomitable arch that proclaims "Welcome to Quezon Province".

It's a rare structure, about ten meters high, leaping over the width of the two-lane highway, with enough clearance for buses and trucks to pass through, and about four meters thick. If you look closely, you will see that guardian angels are flying across the arch, blowing their trumpets, two on each side.

As soon as you pass this, a lady on a carabao will wave at you. She's on the left side of the highway and she's made of concrete. The unmistakable marker of the entrance to Villa Escudero.

Villa Escudero is an impressive resort by most standards. It presents the fantasy of provincial life with singing peasants and happy carabaos, while taking a leisurely cart ride under the coconut trees while enjoying the view of abundant rice fields. The highlight of the resort includes a tour inside a museum (displaying the riches of the Escudero clan) and a hearty lunch right beside the waterfall. Tourists can stay overnight in the air-conditioned huts by the lake.

The lake and the waterfall in Villa Escudero are actually parts of a private electric dam. During heavy downpours, to prevent damage to it, they would open the dam. Within minutes, without warning, our town, our streets, and our houses would be flooded. Furniture and appliances would be water-damaged, like our old Yamaha Electone.

According to legend, the first Escudero, a Spaniard, bought the huge parcel of land from the natives who were living there. Then he turned them into tenants to cultivate the rice fields. The Escuderos are probably the richest family in Tiaong. Also, according to legend, the head of the clan once courted my aunt, but she turned him down. ("Tita, sayang!" we used to tell her.)

Villa Escudero is where you bring your balikbayan relatives, because, other than that, there is no other reason to go back.

After Villa Escudero, back on the highway, you will pass this sharp long curve that is the site of many accidents. There are warning signs everywhere. Surviving that, you will have to slow down for the train tracks.

My aunts used to tell me that my lolo (who looks like me) died near the train tracks while riding his horse, in 1965, before I was born.

Past the train tracks, on the left, there is a road that leads to Dolores. This intersection has always been guarded by a PNP outpost. Tiaong has always been part of NPA country.

By now, you would have been impressed by the fact the highways are flanked by endless rows of impossibly tall coconut trees, so the bridge going into town would be a welcome respite. After a short roll over the bridge, my home town will greet you, with low buildings, houses, people, and tricycles--amazingly looking like most small towns across Luzon.

Invitation to Apply for a Work To Residence Visa

2005-07-06T18:09:00.000+08:00

All I think about nowadays is New Zealand.

I received my letter from the New Zealand Immigration Service (Bangkok) last Thursday, June 30, 2005, inviting me to apply for a Work To Residence (WTR) visa. Up until then, I didn't want to think of New Zealand at all.

Ever since we got back from Bangkok, everyone has been telling me that I could get my WTR letter in a week or two, like some people who did. It was a sure way to get my hopes up. Two weeks passed and no letter arrived. "When will it come?" my wife asked. "They said two months," I replied, trying to fight the depressing idea that I might not get it at all.

The letter came as registered mail--not via DHL, as I expected. When I nervously read the two-page letter, it said nothing on the first page, nothing that sounded like "Yes, you got your visa!"

On the second page, it said:

"We are pleased to inform you that you and your partner are invited to apply for a Work to Residence visa. This is subject to medical clearance and all pending verifications return clear."

A huge sigh of relief. I called my wife immediately.

I read the requirements over and over again, disbelieving at how simple was the list. Nothing like the ITA requirements. Just four items (quoted verbatim):

1. A completed Work to Residence application;

2. Evidence of sufficient funds for the maintenance and accommodation for a period of at least three months in New Zealand, AND for the purchase of an outward ticket from New Zealand for yourself and partner;

3. Payment of migrant levy of US $400 or Baht 15000, plus courier fees (for return of documents) of US $25 (Baht 1100) which must be paid by way of a credit card OR bank draft made payable to the New Zealand Immigration Service. Please note that bank drafts in US dollars must include a bank fee of US $9;

4. Original, valid passports of you and your partner.

All due in three months, or September 15, 2005. I plan to send it next week, as soon as I get my bank certificates.

And then what?

People say that the NZIS will reply in two months and that the local New Zealand Embassy will check on the bank certificates.

"Is there a chance we will get denied?" my wife asked.

I've seen this entire process, from the EOI submission up to this final step as a steady improvement in percentage chance.

Now I make that giant, fateful leap and assume--once and for all--that I will get my WTR visa. I mean, why would they deny us, this late in the game? I feel we deserve it, simply because I gave it an entire year worth of hoping and telling myself the percentages. When I sent my EOI, it was 10% chance. When I got sent my ITA, it went up to 50%. When they invited me to Bangkok, 80%. After Bangkok, 90%.

Now, when I send in my WTR visa application next week, I will have 95% chance of getting to New Zealand--and 5% chance that my world will fall apart.

So when I get my visa, hopefully within July, probably August, I have to roll out my plans. First, I tell my family, then I tell my boss, then apply to jobs in Christchurch like crazy.

I'll end work by October and fly to New Zealand. I'll go ahead, look for a job (NZIS requires that we find a job in three months), and my wife will follow me in January 2006 for our first Kiwi summer.

Skilled Migrant Interview in Bangkok

2005-06-08T18:37:00.000+08:00

For our New Zealand interview last May 30, we decided to dress it up: I wore long sleeves and a necktie, something I rarely wore. I had a difficult time closing my collar. My goiter must have made my neck fatter. My wife just rolled her eyes.

This is a visa interview: I needed to be presentable.

By 8:30 AM, we went down to the hotel lobby and asked for a taxi. It was a great, sunny day. The skies were blue and the clouds were clean like fresh pillows.

During the day, Bangkok taxis are affordable. They all stick to the meter. From Pratunam, where our hotel was, to Wireless Road, it only cost us 55 Baht. I gave the driver a 15 Baht tip, for good luck.

All Seasons Place lies along the beautiful tree-lined Wireless Road in the eastern part of Bangkok. It is actually a collection of buildings. In front, there are three buildings. The New Zealand Immigration Service is in the M-Thai Tower, on the left. In the middle is the CRC Tower where the interviews take place.

We took the elevator to the 36th floor.

"We're here for our interview," I said to the receptionist. A nice office, clean, well-made.

"For New Zealand?" she asked.

What a weird question, "Yes, for New Zealand."

I was hoping to be impressed by the offices of the New Zealand Embassy. It turns out that the interviews were conducted not in their permanent offices, but in a business center, where individual rooms can be rented out on a daily basis.

The receptionist pointed us to a room down the hall. Inside, there was a big table surrounded by about a dozen chairs. Is this the interview room? There were plates of cookies, pitchers of water, and clean glasses on the table. I realized this was the waiting area.

My wife and I sat by the window: what an amazing view. I should have brought my digital camera. I could see Lumpini Park on the left, the Baiyoke Sky Tower on the far right, and my favorite Skytrain winding through the buildings. Being this high, the free maps we got from the airport suddenly made sense and became real.

After ten minutes, other applicants arrived.

We were all very early. The interview was set for 10:30 AM, but we got there before 9:00 AM. I was paranoid about being late, especially when I realized the night before that the time on my cellphone was still Manila time--one hour later than Bangkok time!

Much later, more applicants came in. It's nice chatting with fellow applicants. I realized that there were so many different situations possible. One applicant had her friend with her, another had an actual New Zealander acting as her consultant. In that waiting room, I felt a certain commonality with other applicants: we were all hoping for the same thing. But once you leave that room and head for the interview, you're on your own.

"Jesse Liwag?"

Rita Martin, our visa officer, popped into the waiting room and called me. My wife and I stood up. So that's how she looks like.

"This way please," Rita said.

Before I left the waiting room, I turned and said good luck to the other applicants.

The interview room is a small, bare office, with a desk in the middle. Rita sat behind the desk and we sat in two chairs in front. She had a huge computer monitor facing her. I took a good look at Rita. She sounded nice on the phone when she called me weeks ago. She seems, in fact, friendly--thank goodness.

She introduced herself again and asked for our passports.

I didn't bring our passports. I left them in the safety deposit box at the hotel. My first boo-boo. My heart sank.

"Any kind of identification?" she asked.

I gave her my driver's license and said, "I can have it sent after the interview, if you want."

After that, the rest of the interview proceeded smoothly.

All the advice I found online from fellow applicants, from the forums and blogs, were right on the money. But there were two things that were unique to us, that no one else mentioned or experienced.

Rita interviewed my wife for a long time (maybe 15-20 minutes), asking for all the details of her work experience. Although I am the principal applicant, my wife also has an good resume, with a master's degree from the UK (five extra points for us!) and some experience living and working abroad. I felt that my wife actually impressed the interviewer.

Rita later asked if we had friends or relatives in New Zealand.

This is a major point in the interview, and everyone knows that. Some applicants are lucky that they already have relatives or long-time friends living in New Zealand. Others hire consultants who will support them, while others try quickly to make new friends that they can refer to.

My wife and I tried another tactic. We clearly stated that we had no friends or relatives in New Zealand.

"But it's not a requirement," Rita assured us.

Instead of giving a list of names, we talked about our confidence and desire to live in New Zealand, to make it on our own.

"Ever since we got married," I said, "my wife and I have never needed any support from anyone. We're confident that we can live in New Zealand."

I continued, "In fact, we see New Zealand as an adventure. We both like to travel and see other countries, so we see New Zealand as a new place that we will explore. Of course, we will miss our families back home but we will also be excited by the newness of living abroad."

I had more, "Before we were even married, we already wanted to migrate to another country. And New Zealand is perfect for us. We want to have a family and we want to give our kids a life they deserve. We feel that New Zealand is the place for us."

Before we knew it, the hour was over.

"Is there anything else you would like to add. Anything you want to say to support you application?"

My wife and I shook our heads. Then I said, "How about the passports? Will it affect the interview?"

Rita replied, "No, don't worry. That's just for identification."

Two months, she said. In two months, they will inform us of the results. We thanked Rita and left. My wife and I felt good. The interview went quite well. We took a taxi back to the hotel.

I opened the top button of my shirt and loosened my tie. I could breathe again.

Hirokazu Kore-eda and Me

2005-06-07T12:23:00.000+08:00

"It's true, my last three films were centered around death," admitted Hirokazu Kore-eda in an interview. "And yes, one character dies in Nobody Knows, but fundamentally it's about the urge to keep on living."

Kore-eda is now my favorite director, and his latest work, Nobody Knows (Dare Mo Shiranai, 2004), my favorite film. I plan to watch it over and over again, and continue to be inspired, once again, to dream about making a movie of my own.

In my last year of college, as I was finishing off my Literature degree, I decided on becoming a filmmaker. I planned on going to NYU film school after I graduate and, upon stepping into the building of Tisch School of the Arts, I would cut off my ponytail and shave my head silly. It was supposed to have been the start of a new life.

It never happened.

Because I did my thesis on Neil Deocampo's work, I managed to join his production of Memories of Old Manila. This led to a scholarship in Mowelfund's Summer Film and Video Workshop (1993). For a while, I roamed the world of young filmmakers, like Jon Red, Ellen Ramos, Yam Llaranas, Robert Quebral, Neil Daza, Joey Tam, Larry Manda, and Danny Red. After the workshop, I got a job as an Avid editor at Pre-Post (now part of the Roadrunner Network), burned out in nine months, and lost all movie making ambitions.

By this time, Kore-eda has made his third movie and is about to make his first feature film. In contrast, I left the industry (and my demo reel) behind to take refuge back in the university.

Many have compared Nobody Knows with the animated feature film, Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru No Haka, 1988), mainly because of the theme of death. If we see it as a bildungsroman, Nobody Knows is more similar with Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill (1993), which was based on A.E. Hotchner's memoir about two boys surviving on their own without their parents, set in the Depression era.

But the storyline is where the similarities end. Kore-eda has summoned his entire experience as a filmmaker, especially with documentaries, and created a film that is quiet, unsentimental, and powerful.

In 1988, a tragedy in Tokyo captured all the headlines: Four abandoned children were discovered, two of them dead from abuse and neglect. The mother who left them was found and arrested. The experience of the children was compared to William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Kore-eda was 26 years old then and he swore to himself that he would make a movie about this.

In 2003, Kore-eda revised his original script and shot the movie in eight weeks spaced over a year, to capture the change of seasons in Tokyo and the physical growth of the children.

Most of the movie was shot in a small, cramped apartment, a symbol of the children's isolation from society. To capture the world and dialogue of children, Kore-eda didn't show the kids the script and, instead, gave them simple instructions each time on what to say. He then filled the movie with images of the children's faces, hands, and feet, all lingering shots, purposeful, because they mean something.

Kore-eda wanted to say so much in this movie.

I've always been drawn to directors who take a different approach, as evidence of their vision. In particular, I am drawn to movies free of special effects, movies that linger, movies that take long, detailed looks at the scenes and characters, movies that listen for that unremarkable but meaningful dialogue. A quiet but engaging movie, with lots of room to breathe and think.

In another interview, Kore-eda reveals his vision as a filmmaker: "The movies I hope to make start to grow inside you after the closing credits. In a way, they start the minute the movie is over."

Indeed, he has made one such movie.

Click Mo Mukha Mo and Me

2005-05-16T18:20:00.000+08:00

May 7, 2005 was a hot Saturday, like most days this summer. I was in UP Diliman for the "blog conference". I was nursing a fear that this would turn out like a giant E.B, similar to those I attended in 1997. Despite this, I was drawn mainly by curiosity. What do other bloggers look like? How many are we? Will they be normal? If they are all weird, does that mean I'm weird too?

It was bound to happen, I suppose, this blog conference.

The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger of Robot Wisdom WebLog who started "weblogging" in late 1997. But weblogs only took off, according to informal histories, in 1999. By that time, "weblog" was shorted to "blog", and everyone was blogging. In August of 1999, Blogger was born.

A year later, my buddy, Mark, started his blog.

Mark's blog, named Click Mo Mukha Mo (from a very old and private joke), started out quietly. It tried to be self-effacing, calling itself "a Pinoy's blog about nothing". About nothing.

"Nothing", in the beginning, consisted of small notes about setting up the blog, what he did during the day, some short reviews, and--well, um, that's it. But as the years passed and the blog entries accumulated, Mark started flexing his writer muscles and began publishing a respectable blog with a sizeable audience. Mark was sharp, funny, witty, and never tiresome. And, above all, he wrote well.

Mark's blog survived many changes: hosting providers, jobs, marriage, and a recent move to the US.

My own history with blogging is not as consistent and enduring as Mark's. I officially started blogging when I bought a TypePad account (jesse.typepad.com) and started my design blog, Signal Number Three. I blogged almost daily and stuck to a strict five-day a week editorial schedule. I was treating it like a magazine and had ambitious claims:

"Signal Number Three (SN3) is a journal about design, computing, and society. We publish essays, stories, and photographs. SN3 will explore these related topics : new media, human-computer interaction, mobile phones, information design, architecture, third world development."

It lasted eight months, from September 2003 to April 2004. Too ambitious, perhaps.

I tried to re-focus and started another blog, Understanding Wurman, on a the narrower subject of information design. It failed miserably and lasted less than a month.

In October 2004, after licking my blogger wounds and paying off my credit card bills TypePad, I turned to Blogger and got back on the horse again. I wrote: "I'm so full of myself. Another blog! This is a public-private act, as if I'm writing on stage, like a spelling bee, and I after each answer I hold up my small chalk-board." (October 2, 2004)

Luckily, by my next entry (an hour later), I started to make sense:

"There are already a lot of websites that share links and news about politics and activism and culture, but no blogs yet. I hope there are, and I just failed to find them. It is in political and cultural blogging that Filipinos can display and document their richness and power. Why haven't they? Why haven't we? Especially now, with everything falling apart, there is a greater need to respond to the anxieties that are spreading and building. There is so much to talk about: poverty, economics, arts, culture, government, free speech, civil liberties, freedom of information, migration, diaspora, sustainability, urban decay and unrest, so on and so on." (October 2, 2004)

My luck seems to be holding because I'm still blogging here and I even added another blog for my more creative writing. I have three more blogs, which I'm still trying to figure out.

With a handful of blogs under my belt, I attended iblog, The 1st Philippine Blogging Summit, held at the auditorium of National Institute of Science and Mathematics Education (NISMED) in UP Diliman, last May 7, 2005.

Mark should have been there.

Applying to New Zealand as a Skilled Migrant

2005-05-06T23:56:00.000+08:00

There's been a rumor going around that I moved to New Zealand. I wish that was true. It's actually painful each time I deny it.

My standard, curt reply: No, I don't know where you got that idea.

My real answer: No, I wish. I'm still here, suffering with everyone in this 38-degree summer heat. I'm nearly done with my New Zealand application. I'm just completing my medical certificate and waiting for my interview schedule in Bangkok. I originally had an interview schedule last May 3, but I had to cancel it because my wife was supposed to go to Korea--but that didn't push through. So, now, I'm burdened with the fact that my medical certificate is so delayed and I don't have a new interview schedule yet. I'm beginning to get paranoid.

Yes, I'm worried that things might go awry and (knock on wood) we don't get our New Zealand visa, but I console myself in the proven fact that all immigration applicants are paranoid and will almost always think of the worst.

In the movie, A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe's character said, "Like a diet of the mind, I just choose not to indulge certain appetites."

So, instead of the paranoia, let us indulge in the dream. I'll share what I've learned so far.

1. Money

The total cost for a married couple, with no kids, starts at 130,000.00 PHP (estimate only), from online application to face-to-face interview. This does not include the cost of moving to New Zealand. Here's the list:

Expression of Interest Application Fee: 315.00 USD
Passport photos: 60.00 PHP/person (estimate)
Medical Certificate: 6,400.00 PHP/person
IELTS Test Fee: 8,960.00 PHP/person
NSO Birth certificate: 300.00 PHP/person
NSO Marriage certificate: 300.00 PHP
College diploma: 100.00 PHP/person (estimate)
College transcripts: 100.00 PHP/person (estimate)
NBI Clearance: 115.00 PHP/person
Baranggay Clearance: 10.00 PHP/person
Visa Application Fee: 890.00 USD
Courier to Bangkok: 1,050.00 PHP (estimate)
Bangkok Package: 250.00 USD/person (estimate)

Of course, there are other costs which depend on your situation, including passport application or renewal, police clearance from foreign countries (for any other countries you lived in for more that a year), medical work-ups and check-ups with specialists, and miscellaneous costs for transportation, photocopying, and office supplies.

2. Time

Start the application as soon as possible. Take quick, online self-test, The Skilled Migrant Category Points Indicator. If you pass that, then take some time to review the process diagram. This will take less than an hour.

If you finally decide to go for it, then start filing your Expression of Interest (EOI). You will need to register to do this. This will take some time because you have to start gathering the details, like passport numbers, contact details of your previous employers, birth dates of your spouse's immediate family, all that. You will probably fill out the online form several times over a few days, if you're diligent. My advice is to take your time and make sure all the details are correct.

Once you've filed your EOI, there's nothing to do but wait. Your EOI will be in the "EOI Pool" for three months. EOIs are drawn from the Pool fortnightly--meaning, every two weeks. They start with the highest points and work their way down. If your EOI is not selected within that period, you'll have to apply again.

If your EOI was selected, then you will receive an email as well as a letter in the mail. You will also receive a phone call from an immigration officer who is checking your points. If your total points get revised and fall below the cut-off, then your EOI goes back into the Pool. If your points were validated, then you will receive an Invitation To Apply (ITA). Again, an email and a set of application forms in the mail. This will take one or two months, from selection to receiving the ITA.

You are given exactly four months to complete the requirements and lodge your application. Four months is actually a very tight schedule, so hop to it.

Within a month after completing your application, an immigration officer will contact you via email for your interview schedule--which is about month away. So far, unless you have a job offer in New Zealand, everyone is required to attend an interview in Bangkok.

3. Requirements Checklist

Application Form, with
- Amendments and New Information (attachment)
- ID photos
- Payment
Passports
Birth Certificates
Police Certificates
- NBI Clearance
- Baranggay Clearance
IELTS
Certificate of Marriage
Recognized qualifications
- Certified copy of diploma
- Official transcript of records
Employment certificates
Medical certificates

4. Links

Amazingly, New Zealand is the new Canada. Everyone seems to be applying to New Zealand. This common experience has created communities, some which have EBs (Eye-Balls) in fast food restaurants. Aside from chatting with fellow applicants in Peralta Clinic, the next best way to connect with others is in an online forum.

You can also explore the blogs of Filipinos already in New Zealand. The most important one is the blog of Ka Uro, an IT professional who's been in New Zealand since the 1990s. Another popular blogger is Beth (Kiwipinay). Check out Kiwipinay's links to other Pinoy Kiwi bloggers, like Japa and Christine.

5. Facts

I contacted the Philippine Embassy in Wellington (embassy[at]wellington-pe.co.nz) and gave them a bunch of questions about Filipinos in New Zealand. Vice-Consul Myla Grace R.C. Macahilig kindly sent me a reply:

There are an estimated 18,000 Filipino migrants in New Zealand; about 85% of them live and work in the Auckland area.

Of these only around 3,500 still hold Philippine citizenship with New Zealand permanent resident and work visas.

There are 64 Filipino organizations throughout New Zealand. There are two Filipino community newspapers published out of Auckland.

The New Zealand Filipino community has a yearly reunion held over the Labour Weekend (25-27 October) which usually features sports competitions, cultural shows and a beauty pageant. Filipino organizations bid for the hosting of the event.

Filipinos in New Zealand work in various professions/field. Professionals are mostly in the field of IT, banking, medical (nursing). There are also several entrepreneurs who operate their own business.

There is currently no New Zealand government official who is of Filipino descent.

Dr. Guillermo M. Pesigan, 1945-2005

2005-04-19T11:30:00.000+08:00

"To presage a safe journey here and in the next life, Filipinos arm themselves with prayers, magical incantations, novenas and anting-antings, or amulets, until the soul passes through rocks, rivers, caves, falls and peaks, all of them 'doorways' that lead to Celestial Bliss." (From "Soul People")

Dr. Pesigan died last Saturday, April 16, 2005. It was only last December that he discovered he had lung cancer. His friends even raised money to help him pay his hospital bills.

A wake was held in the Ateneo de Manila University, at the Immaculate Conception Chapel, Gonzaga Hall, until midnight last night. His body is now in San Pablo City, his home town in Laguna.

He is survived by his family, including a handful of grandchildren.

Gimo, as his friends call him, received his MA in 1980 from the Ateneo. He later received his Ph.D. in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines. More recently, he served as President of the American Studies Association of the Philippines. He has also served on the Board of Trustees of the Dalubhasaan ng Lunsod ng San Pablo, the first college established by the local government of San Pablo City.

Dr. Pesigan, an Associate Professor in the English Department, has been teaching most of his life at the Ateneo. He started teaching at Ateneo de San Pablo (sometime during the late 1960s and early 1970s) and later moved on to Ateneo de Manila.

Aside from teaching, his life's work focused on understanding the deep and old cultures in Laguna, particularly communities like Ciudad Mistica in Mount Banahaw.

His books include Old Ties and New Solidarities: Studies on Philippine Communities (Ateneo Press, 2000), which he co-edited with Charles JH Macdonald, and his more famous Dulang-buhay ng Bundok Banahaw: Karanasan ng Ciudad Mistica (UP, 1992).

Related links:

Dr. Pesigan's home page, last updated November 2000
His Syllabus for English 13, last updated September 2000

Dr. Pesigan was interviewed for a feature article in Tipong Pinoy, the newsletter by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, October 8, 2004 issue:

"Ayon kay Guillermo M. Pesigan,... ang mga Pilipino daw, naaagpawan ang krisis at mga problema sa pamamagitan ng pananalig at relihiyon. Ito raw ang dahilan kung bakit tayo nagsasabi ng 'Bahala na, Bathala,' na nagpapahiwatig na isinasa-Diyos na lang natin ang lahat. Ang sabi ni Pesigan, buo ang pananalig natin na ang kamay ni pag wala tayong maisip na solusyon sa problema. Ang 'bahala na,' ay hango sa Bathala ang huhubog ng ating kapalaran. Bumabalik tayo sa pananalig ng ating cycles--pagtatanim at pag-aani--sa pagtingin natin sa krisis."

BlogSpirit Versus Blogger and TypePad

2005-04-05T16:26:00.000+08:00

BlogSpirit is free for now, according to the fine print:

"Time-restricted warranty. BlogSpirit.com Service is a commercial Service and BlogSpirit will NEVER claim to charge nothing for BlogSpirit.com Service forever." (Section 9.2)

In fact, Philippe Pinault, the owner, already announced that they will offer premium services at 4.00 EUR per month which translates to about 280.00 PHP. It's roughly the same cost as the basic package of my lost love, TypePad, at 4.95 USD.

(Side comment: his name sounds like "Filipino".)

I'll give BlogSpirit a try (see jesse.blogspirit.com) because of the following reasons:

1. It has a free option, which TypePad got rid of, with 10MB disk space and 250MB bandwidth per month.

2. It has categories for posts, which Blogger.com does not have.

3. It has photo albums and lists, ripped off from TypePad.

4. It's actually French.

Aside from all that, Blogger.com remains at the top of my list. It's free, simple, extremely useful, with unlimited bandwidth and storage. Plus, Google owns it.

The weirdest thing about BlogSpirit is that it has been shy about revealing who they are and their intentions. In contrast, the TypePad people have distinguished themselves with their transparency and familiarity.

It turns out that BlogSpirit is a French venture, sister company of an e-business solutions provider, Mandarina, both owned and founded by 27-year old Monsieur Pinault. It's all in his blog.

IELTS Speaking Test Module

2005-04-04T16:10:00.000+08:00

"I'm nervous," I said to Malcolm Douglas Gamet, but he didn't reply.

I wanted to scream at him--"I'm nervous I said! Won't you please acknowledge my existence? My proper use of English?"

I was nervous because I didn't know how my English-speaking ability would be judged. I tried all my calming techniques, which all failed. It's just IELTS, I told myself. The other parts of the test were easy, I told myself. The listening, reading, and writing were all in the bag.

The speaking test was the only thing left to do.

When I read the brochure weeks ago, it looked as if the speaking test was the simplest and easiest part. Twenty minutes max, it promised to tackle very basic topics.

I remembered the trauma of my Spanish oral exams back in college. This is different, I told myself. I grew up with English (Sesame Street and Hardy Boys). I have a degree in Literature. I clinched the TOEFL and the GRE. IELTS is nothing, I told myself.

IELTS is pronounced "ayelts" and stands for International English Language Testing System. It's the same thing as TOEFL--but Commonwealth countries won't recognize TOEFL. Too American, I suppose. In the Philippines, it is administered by both the British Council and the IDP Philippines (Education Australia). For 8,960.00 PHP, you can get your English language ability certified, valid for two years. The highest possible score is 9.0. My wife got an 8.5 years ago. The New Zealand requirement is 6.5.

"Don't be nervous," Mr. Gamet said. "Would you like some water?"

"Oh, yes, please," I said and he poured me a glass.

"So, you're planning to go to New Zealand?" he asked. "Which city?"

Mr. Gamet was a tall, bulky fellow, with an easy American accent. He was hired by the British Council specifically for IELTS testing. I had imagined that he would be mean, aloof, and snobbish. He was none of that, as the interview proved, not even a bit. My nervousness was all my fault.

After the basic questions about myself, my home town, life in the city, and how Filipinos value time, we came upon the freestyle event. I was supposed to discuss an assigned topic for two minutes, after I think about it for one minute.

"Ah," I knew what to discuss, "there's this band called Barbie's Cradle."

He stopped me. "Hold on. Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes."

He tapped the small clock on the table between us and marked the time.

"Go ahead."

I spoke about Barbie Almalbis, their origins from Hungry Young Poets, their gigs, the subsequent break-up of the band, Kitchie Nadal--

"Time's up."

I was just warming up. Damn. I was stumbling on my words and ideas. I did not follow my outline. I was not grammatically correct 100% of the time. I did not pick the flowers one by one. Damn my fumbling tongue.

We chatted a bit more, then he wrapped it up.

"That's it. Thank you."

"Thank you." I stood up and left the room.

When I practiced the night before, it wasn't like that. (Describe a teacher who has greatly influenced you in your education. Describe a letter you received which was very important to you.) I could actually make sense. I had drama, feeling, and proper articulation. My interviewer would have applauded for more.

After ten working days, I'll find out what a lifetime of English would amount to. I'm secretly hoping for a score of 9.0.

Colayco Hall is Gone

2005-03-14T18:32:00.000+08:00

It's being torn down, to make way for a bigger, better, Ateneo Student Center. About time, I admit--but with it, a large part of my Ateneo will disappear.

Built in 1982, Colayco Hall was the building that housed most of the three dozen or so student organizations in the Ateneo de Manila University. It was named after Captain Manuel Colayco (AB 1930), the first Editor-in-Chief of Guidon and World War II hero. He died in 1945, soon after helping the US Third Cavalry liberate UST from the Japanese.

It was typical conversation fodder for alumni, right after "What's your major" and "Whom else did you know?" When Ateneans find each other, after college, they ask, "Where did you hang out?"

There were so many other places that you can claim as your own, and will define who you were in college: Caf, Bel, Quad, Lib, Faura, Admin. I would answer, "Colayco".

During my Freshman year, in 1989, I was afraid of Colayco Hall. It was a building full of older college kids who actually belonged there. Through my 17-year old probinsyano eyes, they lived in another world, another Ateneo, the realm of school orgs.

It was only in my Sophomore year that I dared step into Colayco. I became part of the school paper's art staff and I was forced to visit whenever I picked up or submitted an assignment. I never hung out there.

In Colayco, I felt that the people there loomed larger, like giants, like Brobdingnagians. They were people who were officers or members of Something. They had official school work. They had meetings. They had a right to be there. I was nothing but a PoliSci major with a student ID.

Colayco was a small, two-story concrete building with, by my estimate, five distinct social areas.

First, the entire east wing, facing the college quadrangle, is the official front of the building, where all the student services were. Second, the communal lounge in the middle, which spilled out of the building, into the Sunken Garden. Third, the lower floor facing out, which held the offices of the student board. Fourth, the lower floor at the back, where all the musical Christians were. And, finally, the last and fifth social area, the right wing, on the upper floor, where the Pub Room was.

By my Junior year, I was part of Heights and assumed the full rights of hanging out in the Pub Room. By my opinion, the Pub Room was the best room in the building. Aside from being filled with people who actually read books (and who actually read the Heights issues), it had a view.

From the Pub Room, I could see the Science building, the library, and the corn fields beyond. When it rained hard, it felt like a lighthouse in the middle of a storm. And while the storm raged outside, inside we played out the lives we had assumed, not as college students, but as writers, poets, artists.

Colayco people were the org people. Heights was the official literary publication, and we shared the room with the official school paper and the official Filipino magazine. Down the hall from us were dozens of other official school organizations. All in Colayco Hall.

But aside from official school work, this was the building where we spent our days, in between classes, where we stashed our bags and books and umbrellas and paper kites. This is where we found our barkadas and crushes. This is where we met before heading off to lunch or going home.

Colayco is where I found a best friend who helped ease the pain of my mother's death. Colayco is where I had a run-in with the guy who eventually became the Best Man for my wedding. It's where I saw all my three crushes everyday. It's where my friend and I schemed to sneak his girlfriend away from her house. It's where I joined my first and only Hat Party. It's where I silently watched my poem ripped apart and rejected by the Heights editors.

So now, if someone asked where I hung out in college, I wouldn't know what to say.

Related links from The Guidon:

Moonlighting

2005-02-19T00:02:00.000+08:00

"Hi, Jesse. You mentioned you studied Lit, and do occasional copywriting. I was wondering if..."

A month ago, a friend wrote me an email, asking if I could fix the copy of the corporate brochure she was designing for a client. It sounded simple enough, so I said yes and fired off a proposal. What's a brochure? Two pages? A thousand words?

I've never done any freelance work before, but writing and editing copy was something I have routinely done in my work over the years.

I was a Lit major, both for my undergrad and graduate years. I did work as a magazine editor. And I've been part of countless brochure-flyer-print ad projects. All this I bragged about in my introductory letter, with the necessary dare of "You can view my online resume" combined with a real, live link to my website.

All that preening to compensate for (distract from?) the fact that I've never, ever, in my entire waking life, worked as a freelance copywriter or copyeditor.

I was immediately hired for three very specific reasons:

- I was referred by someone they trust.
- My rates were cheap.
- There were no competing bids.

After two meetings with the bosses, a handful of phone calls to my friend, and five revisions, the project was done. The relative and easy success of this teeny-weeny project has given me a shot in the arm, a momentary high, which makes me look forward to the next one.

What is my next freelance job?

With my new-found confidence, I declare my preferred conditions of work, in order of priority:

1. A Good Reputation Among Other Freelancers

The first and easiest test. If the prospective client has a bad reputation for anything--hard to work with, too demanding and unreasonable, cheap, late payments, unappreciative--then I don't think twice.

Unless they can pay me for all the aggravation.

2. I Deal Directly with the Boss

It is unbelievably easier to work with the "decision maker"--the exact same person who will pay you. Just one set of orders that rise above the chatter of opinion. Just one person's expectations to meet.

In my day job, I've been in many projects that involved too many people, too many presentations and meetings, before even meeting the one person who has power to say yes or no. Months of work, unquantifiable amounts of stress and brain cells, all down the drain, just because we never got the right (official, final, authoritative) set of directions.

3. Schedule is Right

Since I do my work at night and weekends, then I have very limited time to offer. Rush jobs and tight deadlines can only work for very small projects with absolutely clear outcomes (like a corporate brochure).

I can manage four hours of late night work every other night--max. A more realistic average is 12 hours a week (so I can still have a normal life). That's not a lot. Ideally, the target date is at least a month away, nothing less.

4. We can Communicate Via Email

Email is invaluable because of three things: it is an infallible record of all communications, it saves on costly face-to-face meetings, and it's available anytime and anywhere in the world.

With email, I know exactly who said what and when--and who read which email. Denials become nearly impossible ("Something's wrong with my Internet connection"). Everything is black and white.

With email, I can be in Bangkok and still be in touch. I can work at 3:00 AM in the morning and still communicate. With email, I can say everything I have to say and ask everything I want to ask. There is no escape from email.

That's about it.

In the end, all I really want is to hear those words again:

"Hi, Jesse. We can close this project. Ok na siya. How do we remit payment to your account? Please provide bank account details."

My Car Got Towed

2005-01-06T13:56:00.000+08:00

I'm looking for a stronger cuss word than "fuck", as in--my car got fucking towed last night.

Background: I'm just recovering from a flu, with sinusitis and a very dry cough, and I have a spanking brand-new ankle strain, and I decided to buy some medicine for my constipation. The Mercury Drug near my apartment is close enough by foot, but with my limp, I decided to take the car. It was 7:00 PM, so the parking spaces were full from people out from work, like me. So, going against my better judgment, I parked on the curb and limped to the drug store.

After 15 minutes, I came out, and my age-old nightmare came true.

My car was gone.

I can still recall the first time this ever happened to me, back in 1993. It was actually near where I live now, also after work, also in Makati. All that I found was chalk marks on the concrete road, telling me where to get the car.

Another time was 1997, in Ortigas. Then in 1998 or 1999, along Shaw Boulevard. But, like some things, like getting electrocuted, I never got used to getting towed.

Flash-forward to last night.

As I limped back to where I parked, I was already checking if my car was there. My spider-sense was tingling. There was nothing, and again the dreaded chalk-marks: "Go to Yakal St." A kid was sitting by the sidewalk and said that the car just got towed a few minutes ago.

Where's Yakal, I asked? He told me, the street beside the fire station. He added, it'll cost about 1,500.00 PHP.

I limped to Buendia, 20 meters. I limped to an ATM to get money, 200 meters. I limped to cross Buendia, passing by the post office, the fire station, and down the dark Yakal Street, over 1,000 meters. I should have left the car at home and walked to Mercury Drug.

As I approached the Towed Car Lot, I imagined strangling those (insert very bad cuss word here) people. How I wish. I went in, saw the car, took out the car registration, and shoved it to the cashier, along with my driver's license.

1,000.00 PHP towing fee, plus confiscation of driver's license. 400.00 PHP penalty, to redeem confiscated driver's license, not here, but at another place, the next day, highly inconvenient. The LTO website said that parking violations are fined 150.00 PHP only, not 400.00 PHP.

Confiscate?

You are confiscating my driver's license? I thought it can't get confiscated anymore? It's no use arguing.

Another cuss word, please.

I paid them off, I did. Four 100-peso bills. Damn us all to hell. I limped to my car and drove off. A happy new year indeed.

Two Thousand Five

2004-12-22T10:42:00.000+08:00

I look forward to the coming year.

Just this week, we did our last bazaar, my dad broke his hip, and my best friend from high school got married. My life these past few days was a blur. The details are all jumbled in my sleepy head; it's much simpler to turn away and look at what's yet to happen. A clean, clear, orderly plan for the future.

In chronological order:

Adarna is interested in looking at our plans for a bilingual magazine for 9-14 year olds (grades 4-7). This week, we hope to send in the timelines and a sample magazine spread. If we can give them 5,000 subscribers, then they're in. If not, then we go to Plan B.

I'm revising Guhit.com and laying out PR plans for my illustrators. For the website, I'll put up stuff for sale and more resources for illustrators and clients. For the PR, I need to get more exposure for my illustrators, including a brochure, press releases (or interviews!), and workshops. I hope to tap publishers, ad agencies, and cultural institutions. Maybe even banks. I'm still looking for one more illustrator who specializes in realistic (or photo-realistic) drawings.

More product development for the journal business: new leather designs, scrapbooks, address books, and planners. All this might be grouped under the Amorsolo Street brand.

And, of course, New Zealand awaits. I plan to submit my application, with all the requirements, by the end of January 2005. I will need help on getting employment certificates from my old companies, Sky Internet and Infocom, because they may have lost all records (and proof) about my employment.

Other sidelines: a pending portrait job, a pending website job, and more online volunteering stuff. Plus my blogs and a revised tiaong.com.

All this, while having a day job.

Renewing Your Driver's License

2004-12-10T11:20:00.000+08:00

Your birthday's coming up. Does this mean you driver's license is up for renewal? In the Philippines, we have to renew our driver's license every three years. On one hand, it's a great way to remind you about it, but it's also a crummy way to spend your birthday, lining up at LTO and pissing into a cup while a stranger watches your every move.

No need to do it on your birthday. You can do it a few days before or after your birthday. It's ok to be late because the penalty is only 30.00 PHP. Generally, a week or so is a socially acceptable tardiness.

1. Makati LTO

If you live or work in Makati, I recommend the Makati LTO on Pililia Street, a few blocks away from the Makati City Hall. The lines are much shorter and you can get you license in an hour, given the right conditions.

Up until yesterday, I had always renewed my driver's license at the main LTO office on East Avenue, because of tradition (that's where I got my license on my own) and because I thought it was like car registration, that you had to renew where you're registered.

2. Before You Go

Wake up early and, no matter what, do not pee. Even if you're going to burst, do not pee. If you make the mistake of peeing (like I did), then bring a big bottle of water, at least a liter.

Bring 532.80 PHP to get your license. Breakdown: LTO fees, 232.80 PHP; drug test, 250.00 PHP; and medical exam, 50.00 PHP. If you're late, add 30.00 PHP.

Whether you have someone to drive you or you're taking a cab, you absolutely must be at the LTO office on or before 8:00 AM.

And, of course, bring your driver's license, its official receipt, your TIN number, and a blue ball pen.

3. Queuing

Here's the sequence:

- Window 1, get application form
- Window 7, show form for checking
- Drug test
- Medical exam
- Window 7, submit all docs
- Window 11, photo (not for license)
- Window 9, payment
- Window 11, photo for license
- Window 11, pick up license

Fill out the application form quickly and have it checked. The Window 7 lady will give you stubs that tell you which specific clinics you should go to. It is safe to assume that they get incentives for doing this. Just stick to the program--but if you want to test the system, then try the other clinics lining the street. They are all certified anyway.

4. Message in the Bottle

Hurry over to the drug test clinic. Show your forms. You will fill out one drug test form (asking if you have taken any kind of medication recently) and you will sign another form, then you pee.

No stuff allowed in the bathroom, just you and your pee machine. No bags, things, bottles, nothing. A quick, cursory (albeit symbolic) body search, then they make you sign a piece of masking tape which they stick to the plastic bottle, indicating that its yours. With the bottle in hand, you go to the small toilet, leave the door open and pee into the small bottle. Don't drop it into the toilet bowl, don't pee on your hand. If you can, fill it up all the way. If you can't, then they need to see it half-full.

Peeing is the tricky part. This is where all the stories come from.

If your bladder is empty, it will take about half an hour before you can force enough pee to fill half the bottle. Believe me on this one.

And if you didn't bring your own water, buy from the woman selling bottles of water outside the clinic.

After handing over your bottle, give them ten minutes to come up with a printed report. Off you go.

5. D E F P O T E C

"Sit beside me," the doctor said. I assumed she was a doctor, because only doctors can do medical exams. And she sounded like a doctor.

The medical exam is the painless part of this entire ritual. A few standard questions about your health and medical history, then the eye chart. You will be required to read line number 6, 7, 8, right eye then left eye. If you read them all correctly, that's a 20/20 vision. If you can read the entire line 6 and some of line 7, then that's 20/25.

"Fifty pesos," the doctor said.

6. Back to Reality

Submit everything to Window 7. Then wait for your name to be called. So on and so forth. Sit back, relax, just do what you're told and everything will go smoothly. You will have your new driver's license in no time.

When you finally get called to have your picture taken, it won't be for you new license yet. It's for their records. When you get called a second time to have your picture taken, then make sure you are ready for the camera because this will go on your driver's license. For some reason, they don't give you a chance to see your picture.

So when they say, "Look at the camera," then you better look at the camera, no matter what happens. Believe me.

Selling at Christmas Bazaars

2004-11-30T15:28:00.000+08:00

As a merchant in a Christmas bazaar, I found out that the magic hour for selling is lunch time, from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM. Half of the day's sale will happen during this time.

After 1:30 PM, the dead hour happens, which lasts until 4:00 or 5:00 PM, depending on your venue. After the dead hour ends, sales will be evenly spread out until closing time. This was a consistent pattern across the three bazaars we joined.

Other things I learned:

Women buy more, whether for themselves or for others. So make sure your products appeal to women. Men tag along, as husbands pushing the baby, or as brothers and sons who carry the shopping bags. Very few men actually buy at bazaars.

Since it is Christmas, your products must gift-ready. You can either have good packaging or offer free gift-wrapping. This adds a huge value to your products. In our case, since the journals were pretty, we offered to tie ribbon around it, free of charge.

Plan your logistics. Pack everything properly and make sure they are easy to move around. If you can afford one, get a cart. The most physically demanding part of a bazaar is before and after: loading your car, moving your inventory and furniture from the parking lot to the bazaar area, then back again, all the way home. In our case, there were just the two of us. We used our travel luggage to move our journals.

Adjust your pricing to match the crowd. Hotel bazaars always deserve a premium of at least 25-35%

Have a price menu. Most people will look at it, although some will still prefer to ask. This will not only save you some laway, it will actually give your customers an idea of the range of your products.

Use samples. People like to touch things. Some even smell them.

Although tedious, you should track your sales by logging each sale--what, when and how much--so you can account for the money and the inventory at any given time. No need for a Palm Tungsten V; just write it down in a notebook.

People do stop and look at pretty booths. It doesn't have to be fancy, just interesting and eye-catching. Something that offers a relief from the sameness of bazaar goods. Since we were also selling handmade paper, we strung them around the booth like flags. And as they flapped in the soft wind, they looked even prettier. People thought they were colored lace. They would approach and touch the paper and ask what it was. By then, they will start looking at our goods.

Plus some minor tips:

Bring water. Water is expensive in bazaars. Always look for a fountain, so you can refill your bottle. We got lucky in Ateneo because the covered courts had a fountain, which I found only on the last day.

Air conditioned bazaars are more expensive (to rent), but open-air bazaars make your skin sticky and your hands dirty. Bring a kikay kit, or at least soap, and wash you hands every three hours. Add a small electric fan to your list, if you can.

And finally:

Take pictures of your booth, and smile in the picture. This will remind you that it was an experience worth your while.

Jesus Died at 33

2004-11-24T13:29:00.000+08:00

Mark,

Being 31/32 has been creeping into my mind too. Almost everyone is a kid to me now. 27 years old? Just a kid! But in most ways, this age is kinda too late to be depressed. (I did that years ago. Ha!) In my case, I never really imagined a life after 29. Have you seen the movie, the Thirteenth Floor? If not, then it's like Truman Show. Or it's like sailing to the edge of a flat Earth. Once I got here--hey!

But I do symphatize (naks!). I also feel that I've done enough to actually go back to the things I missed doing and try out things I've been curious about. For example, I've started my Nth blog (visit me naman!). I'm accumulating a lot of side projects, including illustrator rep.

Have you been using craigslist? If not, you should. Para masabi mo naman. I'm assuming you're in Miami.

I guess long drives are normal there. My sister used to drive 45 mins on the highway to get to work.

Yeah, put up your own business na. You can outsource big jobs here. And dami mong contacts. You could even focus on marketing and outsource everything. If you need illustrators, contact me.

How about an online store? A niche market type, maybe for Pinoys. I did research on this na, if you're interested. Or you could even hook up US businesses with CPs/telcos in the Philippines. Like that eBay and Friendster thing.

Omigish! Seryoso ba 'to? www.webladyinc.com Is this how web people look like in Florida? Dang! Dig that hotty Tommy Jackson. Ooh.

Boy, you can mop the floor with them.

But, yeah, set it up na. I can't see how it can fail.

And daldal ba? I'm a bit delirious kasi puyat. I slept at 4:30 AM.

The Friendster thing made good headlines, but SMS alerts lang for now. The app they're making is for higher model phones, so hindi siya really mass market.

But, eBay. Whoa! That's something to watch. I even tried it out na. Of course, ako pa lang ang nag-bebenta. It looks like there's an opportunity for a payment service to enter. Kasi walang PayPal dito. So there's an opportunity for GCash or the Bancnet thingie.

Christmas is here! It feels much better than last year.

Eating Garbage in Metro Manila

2004-11-17T17:47:00.000+08:00

For 200.00 PHP, the woman bought one plastic pail full of leftover fried chicken, collected from the daily garbage of fast food chains around Metro Manila. Just chicken, nothing else. Chicken bones, with some meat and some skin. Crispy, golden brown, and white and grey.

The water probably came from the neighborhood water pump. Or she could have bought it from someone. Or from a broken pipe. With the water, she washed the chicken, making sure the meat doesn't fall off and drop to the bottom of the pail. It was like washing vegetables, just shaking it a bit, plunging it into the murky water a few times. With the water, she transformed garbage into food.

With cheap grease and cheap fire, she fried the chicken once again, a resurrection, with soy sauce and vinegar and garlic. She sold it for 20.00 PHP a plate. Everyday, she nets about 150.00 PHP. Her husband has no job, so they eat what they sell.

Tears welled in her eyes, as she told the interviewer off-camera, she wished she didn't have to eat garbage.

They had no choice, she said.

During the course of the interview, the woman mentioned the word, "marangal"--honorable.

There seems to be a subgroup among garbage folk. Those who take the garbage from your office building and sort out the paper, the glass, the plastic. Things they can weigh and sell off. Like their dry goods kin, this subgroup (I'm guessing it's a subgroup) avoids office buildings and heads for fast food restaurants and malls, waiting for the brightly-uniformed men to quietly stow their food-filled black garbage bags.

All the major fast food chains have a policy of not giving away the leftover food, to protect the public. They are all classified as garbage once they leave the brightly-lit premises of the fast food restaurant. But once they are sitting in the smelly, dark corners of the designated garbage area, the garbage is salvaged and taken away.

Away from the commercial centers and malls, the garbage bags are cut open and its contents are sorted, the rice, the meat, and--famously--the fried chicken.

At 200.00 PHP per pail.

They interviewed this old woman who was so poor that she had to borrow a plate of chicken. She had no work and she was taking care of her crazy niece and her niece's daughter. The old woman boiled the chicken, planning to make it last for at maybe three days, if they're lucky. Next week, she will again borrow one plate of chicken.

What is all this? This is the stuff of fiction, even dystopic science fiction. But here's the proof, that we have people eating garbage, just to survive. Technically, come to think of it, chicken protein is much better than the nutrition-free instant noodles that is staple for people who earn less than 30.00 PHP a day.

This damn thing is a documented fact, shown on the TV show, Kontrobersyal, last Saturday night (ABS-CBN Channel 2, 10:30 PM).

Real. And utterly sad.

This documentary came in the wake of the news of the father who lost two sons because he fed them food (lechon) that he took from the garbage. Hunger is the issue of the moment.

The newspapers are latching on to a statistic that the Social Weather Station released, as part of its SWS 3rd Quarter Survey: 15.1%.

Fifteen point one percent.

Three out of 20 people.

Roughly 12 million people.

What was the question?--

"In the last 3 months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and not have anything to eat?"

Hunger is nothing new. Indeed, it is a global phenomenon, but mostly in countries like the Philippines. Impoverished, colonized, globalized, on the last rung of the new world order. Google gives me over 400,000 hits for "world hunger".

This is absurd, and beyond my comprehension. How do I begin to understand?

For some reason, I am reminded of Khavn De La Cruz's upcoming movie, "Ang Pamilyang Kumakain ng Lupa", based on his Palanca-winning short fiction of the same title.

There's a joke that persists from my childhood, and--it seems--from everyone's childhood. When a piece of food falls on the floor, someone will quickly shout--"Pwede pa yan! Wala pang five minutes! Sayang!"

When does food become garbage? When it falls from our fingers? When it disappears from our sight? Sayang. Such a waste. What happens when garbage becomes food, right in front of us, in the newspapers, in prime time TV?

Voter Registration in the Philippines

2004-11-12T15:16:00.000+08:00

Dear Daniel Dolan,

If you're interested in voter registration in the Philippines, here are the relevant links:

- COMELEC FAQ
- Republic Act No. 8189 An Act Providing for a General Registration Of Voters
- Primer On The System Of Continuing Registration And Validation Of Voters' Registration Records
- Cheating in Elections (Registration)
- Google: Philippine news on voter registration (mostly from 2003)

I myself registered and voted in the 1992 national elections. Typically, once you register in one precinct, it's easier to keep on voting there for the rest of your life. Like now, I live in a different city from where I vote.

There are ways of transferring, but it can get messy. Even registration, as evidenced in the last elections, can be quite difficult now. It goes down to simple problems of having no electricity in the building to power the computer that accepts registration. (The problem with computerization here. This is the first hand experience of my wife, who failed to register at all.)

From what I've read on this list, it seems that our voter registration is different in the sense that it's not tied to any other citizen registration list. The voter list is separate, and is not used as reference for anything else.

There have been attempts to clean up the list and make registration efficient/effective. Aside from bureaucracy, budgets, electricity, there are politicians who make use of the unreliability of the voter lists. This is their first step in cheating: flying voters (voting in different precincts), dead voters, fake voters, and so. (They also do vote padding, but that's a later step.)

Maybe you could use the Philippines as an example of how NOT to handle voter registration.

Mishka Adams Sings Jazz

2004-11-08T09:40:00.000+08:00

It was the CD cover, her face on the cover, and her name, that caught me while scanning the OPM shelves of Tower Records, Glorietta. Mishka Adams--foreign name, must have been misplaced. It turns out I was wrong, and lucky.

It was the blurb on the cover of God Bless the Child (290.00 PHP), that little sticker, comparing her to Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Halliday. (Sobra naman.) Other phrases that caught me: young British-Filipino, debut album, international label, young, vocal prowess. Sige na nga, benta na.

The album is a pleasant surprise, and her voice is amazing. An old, ageless voice, never betraying that she's only 20 years old. The album pictures are the only evidence that she's so young, fresh from her teenage years, looking so Lolita.

I could be a fan. I hope her next album is full of original songs. I hope that she gets her wish: to create her own sound.

Some facts I found so far: Mishka Arellano Adams, UP College of Music (studied the saxophone), youngest artist at Candid Records, dating the sound engineer, performed recently at the Candid Jazz International Festival and at Fete de la Musique.

Here's the famous write-up from PhilMusic.com.

Fun facts: (1) In April 2003, Mishka held an art exhibit. (2) Her mom is the famous sculptor, Agnes Arellano, and they are direct descendants of the first president and co-founder of the Katipunan, Deodato Arellano. (3) She used to have dreadlocks.

Margaret Atwood and Nostalgia

2004-11-04T14:53:00.000+08:00

I remember Bluebeard's Egg.

That was the first short story by Margaret Atwood that I read. I bought it in National Bookstore, in Greenhills, one cloudy weekend. I was in my short fiction phase: I had decided, as a Lit major, to specialize in short fiction, much easier than novels. I could finish a short story collection, like Bluebeard's Egg (and Other Stories), in a couple of sittings.

That was the same time I started buying the annuals O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories. I began to seek out the short stories in the New Yorker and Ms. I discovered that those expensive and boring journals also had short fiction hidden among the essays on literature and culture. I picked up all discount-bin short story collections, like, most famously, Paul Theroux. All during college.

After a recent discount-bin expedition, I have another Atwood book, my first one in years. Last night, I began reading The Red Shoes: Margaret Atwood Starting Out (2000), by Rosemary Sullivan. Not really a biography, but more of a field study.

I haven't read Atwood in years. I've seen her in Powerbooks and Fully Booked, even National Bookstore, her Alias Grace (1996), her Blind Assassin (2000). They bring back memories of the ones I adored back in college, my lost barkada, in order of my acquaintance: The Handmaid's Tale (1985), Cat's Eye (1989), Surfacing (1973), The Edible Woman (1970), Life Before Man (1980).

Most of these were available in my university library, but The Handmaid's Tale accosted me among the shelves of the old British Council library. I was so struck with this novel, so upturned, in awe, soaked, and out of breath, that I actually recommended it to my sister. She found it weird.

Was I the only one who liked Atwood? She was popular, I had assumed, because she was in pocketbooks. Finally, back in school, I met a girl who was a fellow Atwood-lover. We were both amazed at this chance meeting.

After Bluebeard's Egg, I collected the other collections, again, in the order of their appearance on my night table: Dancing Girls (1977), Wilderness Tips (1991).

I bought Good Bones (1994) and Murder in the Dark (1983), much, much later, when I was already out of college, out of nostalgia. But I bought The Red Shoes for another reason, not nostalgia. I was beyond nostalgia.

Seeing her name, her words, the details of her life, her pictures, was like meeting an old teacher or lover, like meeting my mother (if she didn't die) after years of not talking. There was a hesitation, of course, but not of avoidance, more of eye contact. Is it really you? Are you ready to meet again?

And in these pages, in the first few chapters, I am recounting the memories of my college years, when I began dreaming of becoming a writer, like Atwood, dear Miss Atwood, who lives in Canada with her husband and their daughter, Jess.

Hunting for Leather in Marikina

2004-10-31T02:54:00.000+08:00

Some of my friends will hate me: I bought an entire piece of cow leather. One side of a cow, stripped, cleaned, tanned, treated, buffed, and whatever else they do to make it leather. An animal. An innocent cow. Not only dead, but skinned and rolled up, tucked neatly under my arm.

Nice dark brown pull-up cow leather.

The guy at the store said that "pull-up" means it has a matt finish, aside from being thick. Leather can be thinned, I learned sometime ago, while reading whatshisname, that bookbinding guy.

Nation Shoe Supply (646-2145) in Marikina sells real leather only, none of those synthetic stuff. (For directions, contact me so you won't waste 20.00 PHP riding with tricycle driver who doesn't know the streets of Marikina bayan.)

The guy behind the cashier said that people have been buying from him recently to make leather journals too. That includes our friend, Nat Uhing (who will sail off to Australia), of course, and Mylene Dizon, the celebrity. Ms Dizon and her friend, Erica Fife, has also been peddling leather-bound journals.

The race is on. How big is the market, really, for leather-bound journals? How many people actually keep journals and would want leather ones?

Elsewhere in the world, there is a variety of leather journals to choose from, because the bookbinders who work with leather are so many. They have associations and schools and history. Here in the Philippines, the only bookbinders we have are those in photocopy shops and stalls. No one hand binds books anymore.

So the hand binding practices are left to people like us, Ms Dizon, Nat, and myself. Although this gives us a chance to go after whatever market there is, it also does not paint a happy picture. There is no craft tradition refer to, only scarcity and whim. We are all apprentices.

Very few people find value in journal writing. And if they do, it's not easy to justify paying for a leather journal when you can use a regular notebook at a fraction of the cost. Leather journals can easily cost from 1,500.00 PHP and up. Imported ones start at 3,000.00 PHP.

At Nation Shoe Supply, leather can only be bought as a whole piece, which is about 10-15 square feet, as big as a beach towel. They had about a hundred different kinds of leather, from the basic pull-ups to textured cow leather made to look like snake, ostrich, and alligator.

They also supply tools. I bought a silver pen (for making erasable lines on the leather), heavy scissors, stud eyelets, punch for the stud eyelets, and small belt buckles. They also sell thread, paint, cutters, shoe molds, and those things that go on the edges of guy shoes.

I estimate that I'll be able to make ten journals from my one whole leather, 15 if I'm lucky. I'll experiment with some regular drawing paper for the prototype, then I'll buy the real paper about a week from now, from a place in Manila that sells great paper.

Then I'll start selling them in the Ateneo Bazaar on November 27-28, just before my birthday.

Half a Million US Dollars

2004-10-25T17:38:00.000+08:00

The main hall of the Manila FAME International October 2004 was like a high-end luxury store: I could look, touch, and marvel at the amazing designs for chairs, beds, lamps, vases, paper sheets, and jewelry--but I could not buy anything.

If you wanted to buy anything, you have to buy in bulk, usually at a minimum total order value of 5,000.00 USD. And usually, you have to buy a hundred pieces of each every SKU.

The main hall is for all the export big shots, and each of them can rake in as much as half a million US dollars in orders during each event. The rest of the export industry is in the smaller, tented halls.

What I wanted to buy: capiz chandeliers, animal pencils, metal/abaca sofas, and giant handmade paper sheets.

As I wandered, I wondered--How do you get here? How do they design all these things? I wanted to know their secret. I wanted to be part of them.

Some companies have been exporting for decades, while others started out about ten years ago. They all attribute their exponential success to Manila FAME, which brings in buyers from all over the world, particularly from Japan, Europe, and the USA.

I managed to get in during the trade days (not open to the public) because I had an aunt who was an exhibitor. They manufacture paper and resin products (lamps, bowls, vases, boxes). On that day I visited, Saturday, they were entertaining a couple of Japanese buyers. On the side, they said they were tired from an all-night party.

Party? I had an image of a roomful of designers, foreigners, and entrepreneurs, going for tequila shots and dancing. My aunt also mentioned once that it is typical that they bring their best buyers to Boracay right after (just before?) Manila FAME.

It is big business, definitely, and good design. An amazing combination, in my opinion. This perhaps is a good alternative for creative types, other than setting up ad agency.

Here are a few tips.

1. Decide on a base product, like abaca, capiz shells, paper, metal, and never ever stray from it. This is where you expand from and return to. Buyers prefer this, and allows you to specialize and innovate effectively. It's like a dominant element--earth, wind, and fire. I have a strong affinity for paper.

2. The design is everything. Compete with new, amazing, unique, unparalleled designs. And you have to do this four times a year. Exporters are widely known for keeping their designs a secret, except to qualified buyers. No sketching and photography allowed in Manila FAME, unless explicitly allowed by the exhibitor.

3. Perfect your manufacturing process. This is the big leagues and your buyers want their orders to be delivered on time, while guaranteeing the quality you promised them.

4. Love your buyer. Once you have them, do everything possible to keep them happy. They are your friends for life. Best of all, you have one thing in common (aside from making money): the love of good design.

That said, we non-exporters are left with the same problem: starting out. For the past months, I've been racking my brains, squeezing my skills, stealing hours, and emptying my wallet, just to create products that I might be able to sell--even to a small, local market.

I'm sure I want paper and everything related, like notebooks and scrapbooks, but this process feels like as if I'm banging my head on a wall. (And this is not good for my self-esteem as a designer.) My next project is leather-bound journals. Let's see where that goes.

But the last tip, perhaps the true secret, is the one I always forget: keep on trying. Very old, very cliched, a bundle of other trite mottos: be optimistic, be ambitious, just do it, go for it, it's never too late, we learn from our mistakes. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off.

Who is Doroteo Jose?

2004-10-16T15:06:00.000+08:00

I got what came for: cheap gift wrappers for Christmas and shrink-wrap plastic. All I need now is the plastic sealer (available in National) and a hair dryer.

I found them in stores along Juan Luna Street in Divisoria, near Tutuban: Uni-Lastic Plastic Marketing (242-1819) and Oversea Paper Supply, Inc. (242-5710). I also found a candle store selling candles and candle materials, like wicks and beeswax pellets (450.00 PHP per kilo). Normal wax materials are about 150.00 PHP per kilo, and the gel type is 250.00 PHP per kilo. They also sell candle molds. All in Juan Luna.

How did I get there? With difficulty, lots of sweat, walking, a sore arm, and a splash of zesty canal water.

I took the MRT from Ayala to Taft, then walked on the bridge connecting to the EDSA station of LRT. Then waited in the "Male Area" of the station. Apparently, one train is reserved for women only. If you're a girl and you happened to be with a guy--malas mo--you have to join him with the rest of stinky, creepy males.

My bright idea was to get off Carriedo Station, which is just after Jones Bridge (tama ba?). I was told that I needed to get a ride in front of Quiapo Church so I wandered off to the nearest church, made a detour inside and prayed for three wishes, and then waited for a jeep outside. None of the jeeps said "Divisoria" or "Tutuban".

I checked my map and realized that Santa Cruz Church, where I was, is not the same as Quiapo Church. So I turned around, hesitated in Lacson Plaza (after Panfilo?) and wondered so many times if I should take a cab. Braving the stink of the wet market, I arrived at Quiapo Church, which is actually the Black Nazarene Something, which is on Quezon Boulevard, which is--where?

The church was closed so no wishes there, and no "Divisoria" jeeps in sight. I checked the map and decided that I had to walk about four or five blocks to Claro M. Recto where there might be a jeep to Tutuban. And walked I did.

I enjoy this part of getting lost.

Not getting really lost, but wandering around in a general direction, along relatively safe, well-lighted streets full of vendors. I did this in Bangkok and Singapore and Baguio. Today, I did it in Quiapo and came up with two ideas:

1. Quiapo Souvenir Package: one sample of each herb, stick, leaf, and potion being sold as medicinal cures; those small, weird sex toys (pilik-mata?), lighters, and knick-knacks; and the medallions and anting-antings.

2. Quiapo and Divisoria Map: guide to all the weird and useful places: for example, the art store I chanced upon on the intersection of Quezon and Recto, the bike shops, and those people who are selling fake NSO birth certificates, college diplomas, and SSS ID cards.

On Recto, there is an underground pedestrian walk, but I was too scared to go in, so I just jaywalked like everyone else. While on the jeep, I saw this karitela (horse-drawn cart) and found it amusing. Then my heart fell when I realized that the horse had a metal rod in its mouth, as part of its harness. What do you call those darn things? The horse's mouth was always open, never getting used to the metal rod. I imagine it must have been worse than opening my mouth for two hours during a root canal. I wanted to take a picture.

I had my camera, but I was too scared to use it, to flash it around in those busy streets.

What if I became a target? I was alone, tired, and totally unfamiliar with the place. Even before the horse, I wanted to take pictures of all the vendors I saw on Quezon Boulevard and on the overpass. I wanted to share I saw. But, no.

I've been to Tutuban lots of times, so it was a familiar and happy sight when I alighted from the jeep. I crossed the street and headed in the general direction of Divisoria, where I missed Soler and overshot to Juan Luna. Soler is supposed to be another good place to buy wholesale.

Going back home, I decided that for the most part, Divisoria is not photogenic, not the mess of stores and commuters and street vendors. No bright colors, just a muddy palette of blacks, greys, browns, and heat. No shapes or lines, just a heap of details and textures and smells.

I did manage to get pictures along the way: in the MRT Ayala Station, in the LRT Carriedo and EDSA Stations. During the whole time, I was worried about wrecking the camera, which was jumping and bumping in my bag.

I wanted to cap off my trip by taking the new LRT train from Recto to Cubao, but it turns out that the active station was still in Legarda, about a kilometer from wher I was. Never mind, the traffic on Recto was too much for me by then. I ate lunch at Chowking and hopped on the train in Doroteo Jose Station back to EDSA, then transferred to an MRT train with no aircon.

Next week, when I go back to Divisoria, I will know better.

Six Degrees Celsius

2004-10-15T01:27:00.000+08:00

I'm not so sure about New Zealand.

I imagine the snow and mountains and forests and Lord of the Rings. I imagine the kiwis (the fruit) and the sheep. I imagine a small version of Australia, without the kangaroos, an alternate England.

A lot of Brits are moving to New Zealand and getting all the good jobs there. It's the third choice after Canada and Australia. Then a lot of Asians as well, which make up about a third of the immigrant population.

There's the typical (like in Canada) lament about the failed promise of better jobs and better lives. I've read of lawyers working as cops and engineers scrubbing toilets in McDonald's. Then there are those who always say that you must start somewhere, even with menial jobs.

New Zealand hopes to bring in about 20,000 immigrants across all classes this year, a small portion of which are skilled migrants--my category. I've been looking New Zealand jobs to see what's out there for a web designer.

From the job listings there are some prospects for web-related jobs, like web designers, content managers, project managers, online marketing and advertising, starting at 40,000 NZD per year.

40,000 NZD is not that big. A good start (if you get it), but not big. A decent salary would be about 60,000 NZD at least, which is enough to cover the rent for a modest two-room apartment at 250 NZD per week. Yes, per week. Apparently, everything there is measured in weeks, not months, like here.

Food is about 200 NZD per week. Internet is about 10 NZD per week. Plus 50 NZD for clothing, 10 NZD for health insurance, and 20 NZD for fuel. All in all, a couple starting out in New Zealand would spend about 800 NZD per week, a modest average.

What are the perks? Free health care for most things (although everyone recommends getting health insurance). Free state schooling for kids up to age 19. No pollution. No crime. Small population. Snow boarding. Nature tripping. British TV shows. Maybe even The Times.

But there are also reports of racism, that migrant Brits get all the good jobs. Some Asian immigrants even say that there are no jobs at all, with scary stories of people having no jobs for the first few years.

What is interesting is that there seems to be some activity from the Filipinos in New Zealand--although a lot of them seem to be playing golf. What are the Filipinos doing in New Zealand? What are their jobs? What do they do for the community? Where do they live?

I always look towards Hawaii because of how Filipinos have become part of its history. Filipinos have been there this entire century and have become integral parts of the community, as business owners, cops, and government officials. Is there any semblance of that in New Zealand?

What I'm hoping for, if ever, is to land in a community which I can make my home. I don't mind running for a government position, like a local official, or heading up community organizations. I yearn to establish roots and a history of my own. (In Makati, I am simply a statistic and there is no virtue in becoming a local official.)

New Zealand has good weather, similar to Baguio in the evening. With winter ranging from rain to frost. Snow is up in the mountains, not in the cities. Then there is wind all around, and water and seas. The cities seem interesting enough, cosmopolitan enough, with buildings and museums and theaters and parks--lots of parks.

Beyond all the touristy stuff, I am drawn to the fact that New Zealand is also home to the field of sustainable design and to Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith who wrote the amazing book, Decolonizing Methodologies. Plus there seems to be a good design history that is unfolding there.

In short, there might be some hope of pursuing a design career in New Zealand. Maybe even an academic one. Maybe even the hope of opening my own bookstore and running my own design firm.

After five years, immigrants can apply for New Zealand citizenship and become part of the British Commonwealth. This means easy travel to the UK and a chance to compete for the Booker Prize.

Bowling for Canadian Bacon

2004-10-09T01:31:00.000+08:00

Dear Mr. Moore,

Congratulations on the success of your latest film, Fahrenheit 9/11. I managed to see it during the first public screening here in the Philippines. It was an amazing documentary. And just an hour ago, I managed to watch your previous film, Bowling For Columbine, on cable TV, on the AXN Channel.

I have been a fan way back, when I managed to borrow a VHS copy of Roger & Me from a newly opened video chain. That was around 1993. I picked it up, convinced by the blurbs on the cover, and borrowed it. I was expecting a comedy, but got something else. That was also the same time I became a fan of Richard Linklater, the guy who made Slackers.

Years passed and the next time your named popped up was when your Bowling movie started hitting the news. It never reached the Philippines, not even pirated copies. I had friends in the US raving about it.

So I saw Fahrenheit first.

I don't like Bush, even his father. In fact, I don't like the US government. But that's something I don't want to say in public or for the record, because I'm afraid they'll use to deny me a US tourist visa. I don't have a Visa, by the way. I tried about three times--but this is a typical story in the Philippines.

I remember watching that second plane hit the other tower on CNN. It was unbelievable. And when the towers collapsed, I was speechless. I told my wife, the world is about to change. And I didn't mean that there will be more suicide bombings. I meant that the US will definitely seek vengeance, on a grand scale.

Ever since Bush Jr declared war on Iraq, I watched our own Philippine President, Gloria Arroyo, throw her support behind the Coalition. Like the head of Australia, the people didn't support her stand. I don't support her stand. A few months back, a Filipino was held hostage and Gloria gave in to the demands of the hostage takers, because of the large public pressure. It's funny, looking back.

Funny, but confusing. CNN and BBC weren't really helping in explaining the "War on Terror". I still remember when Bush Sr attacked Iraq years ago and the gas prices in the Philippines doubled.

Your movie, Fahrenheit, helped me make sense of this period in our history. Thank you.

I know it's not everything, but it managed to link all of the other things I've read. I've been reading on globalization, poverty in the US, Afghanistan, and US imperialism, among other things.

Bowling is a much smaller movie. For a foreigner, a Filipino at that, it's a funny movie. The best part for me was when Wal-Mart gave in to your demands and declared they will pull out the sale of ammo from their stores. That was an amazing turnaround. I was so worried that you were just using those two kids for the effect. I was so glad it turned out that way.

Roger & Me was so long ago. I liked it but, as a Filipino, my appreciation was distant.

What is really surprising--and I found out just now, browsing through your website--is that you made Canadian Bacon. I absolutely loved that movie. I saw it back in 1997 or 1998. I even managed to relate the entire story line, with all the punch lines, to my two best friends over dinner. Then I made them watch it. You should make another one.

I also read through you blog, and I can only try to imagine how it is in the rallies and lectures you attend, the kind of people you meet and the stories you hear.

Fahrenheit has made me admire you, because it is the right movie at the right time. I know that it also made you wealthy, and you deserve it, because you seem to have so much more to do.

I also read somewhere that you were the head of Mother Jones for a short while, but you got kicked out because you were too radical for them. It was their loss, for sure.

Keep it up, I'm sure you will. One day, when I can afford to buy DVDs, I'll be sure to stock up on all your movies.

Natural Persons, Original Creations

2004-10-08T16:36:00.000+08:00

As an illustrator rep, I've been reviewing book illustration contracts and I found out that there are some basic things not being considered by their clients. The contracts are typically hazy on copyright, among other things, so I quickly typed out this short set of guidelines.

1. Basic copyright terms:

- The Artist retains ownership of all art works.
- The Artist grants copyright usage to [the Client] for first time publication in the Philippines only, for the period of one (1) year. All other rights to be negotiated seperately.
- No derivative works except for marketing use.

2. The only legalese that I require:

"RESERVATION OF RIGHTS: All rights not expressly granted above are retained by the Artist, including any electronic rights or usage, and including, but not limited to, all rights in sketches, comps or other preliminary materials. Any use additional to that expressly granted above requires arrangement for payment of a separate fee."

3. Royalties:

The contract must specify the number of copies that the contract covers. Usually it covers the first print run only, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 copies.

In cases where the Client wants more print runs after the first, then royalties must be stipulated and the period until which the Client can make more copies.

4. Things that must be specified in the contract:

- Specific deliverables (number of illustrations, media, size, etc.)
- Revisions allowed only during studies, not after final art
- Cancellation, kill fees
- Credits (byline), fee for failure to add credits
- Book copies (usually 10)
- Final payments must be completed after 30 days after acceptance, 3% monthly penalty for late payments
- Original art must be returned (usually 30 days after printing)

Above all, I remind the illustrators that the key principle here is copyright. The artist retains the copyright and all other benefits, including the right to earn from their original creations.

To know more on Philippine copyright law, here's some links to visit:

Intellectual Property Code Of The Philippines [Republic Act No. 8293], Part IV, The Law On Copyright: Courtesy of the ever-reliable Chan Robles Virtual Law Library, this is the full-text of the relevant law. I saw a couple typos, but it's the only available online reference. I also found a PDF version from the UST online library.

Intellectual Property Brief: Again from Chan Robles, this is the full index of all they have on intellectual property.

A Survey Of Philippine Copyright Cases: An interesting article by a lawyer from ACCRA. He cites key cases on Philippine Copyright, with a minor insight on the damage wrought by Marcos's copyright laws.

Forum On Philippine Copyright Law: A quick outline of the Copyright Law, written for librarians.

Copyright Application Procedure: Although copyright is immediately granted to the author upon the moment of creation, registering your copyright grants greater protection and more money (in case you sue for copyright infringement).

Fully Furnished, With a Lovely View

2004-10-07T13:53:00.000+08:00

Two free classified ads websites, Adpost.com and BuyandSellPlus are both equally frustrating. I was trying to see if I can post an ad for my cousin's apartments for rent. It's good that they're free, which makes up for the fact that they don't guarantee traffic to your ad. But trying to post an ad on both their sites gave me a headache.

Adpost.com: I successfully placed one ad and I had problems editing it. I tried to place another one, but the website gave me an error and erased everything I tediously made.

BuyandSellPlus: While Adpost.com had customized fields for property ads, BuyandSellPlus had a set generic fields. This was even harder to use.

After this short but stressful lunch-time adventure, I revive my long-standing recommendation: there should be website for apartments and houses for rent. Just for rent, and just for Metro Manila. A focused website will do wonders for the market. For me, at least.

This idea started long ago. In 1997, when I got my first domain name, I activated the free bulletin board application and promoted it as a place to find and advertise apartments for rent. Primitive, but it worked, because there was no other service like it.

At it seems to have stayed like that.

In the US, renting apartments is a big thing. Dozens of sites are available for people looking for apartments and houses to rent. They even have websites serving niche markets like students and old folks.

I did start building plans for my apartments-for-rent website, I didn't have money to have it developed. An extra feature I wanted was to track rental rates per area and create an analysis of property values across the metropolis. Even now, when I browse through classified ads, renting a house in the exclusive Makati villages would start at 100,000 PHP per month, while similar houses in Fairview go for 25,000 PHP. These patterns would have been interesting to document and see.

I would have extended the analysis and created articles on finding homes and commuting to work. I would have done features on urban living and survival. It could have a been an urban magazine and classified ads, back-to-back.

Now, at this point in time, setting it up will be easier. Off-the-shelf software is available (about 500.00 USD) and everyone has Internet access and email. It will be easy to promote. It will grow by itself.

Hand-Bound Books are Haunting Me

2004-10-06T09:35:00.000+08:00

Over a year ago, I started researching and testing the Coptic Stitch used for binding paper and books without any adhesive. Just thread and a needle.

I managed to figure it out, enough to make about half a dozen writing journals. Inspired by my small progress, I splurged on a set of Keith Smith books on non-adhesive binding. I ordered four books, at 30.00 USD per book, from Talas. It was a good investment, a good buy, until I received the books--via Fedex.

I was assuming they would send it via regular surface mail and I would receive the books in a month or so. I had mixed emotions when I got the books--and the Fedex bill--in a few days. With the damage done (to my credit card), I decided that I should make my investment pay off. These are what I bought:

Bookbinding for Book Artists
Non-Adhesive Binding Volume III: Exposed Spine Sewings
Non-Adhesive Binding Volume Volume IV: Sewing Single Sheets
Non-Adhesive Binding Volume V: Quick Leather Bindings

I read the books, skimmed through most parts. I was able to confirm my version of the Coptic Stitch and I was amazed by the range of techniques and experiments documented in the books. Keith Smith is an amazing artist.

The books, along with some Googling, revealed that there is a world out there obsessed with book art, mainly in North America and Europe. Coincidentally, about the same time last year, the Luz Gallery (months before it closed) had a book art exhibit, featuring artists from Australia and the Philippines. That was a pleasant surprise.

A better surprise was the fact that an old friend was part of the exhibit, Nat Uhing. She made these impressive and hefty writing journals with heavy hardwood covers. At about 2,000-3,000 PHP each, they were art pieces.

Since then, I recently found out, she continued on with her craft and has been selling writing journals with leather covers and with hand-marbled canvas. I was impressed, and envious.

Now, she's holding her first workshop on bookbinding in her Antipolo home (I think). She flies to Manila to sell her journals and goes back home to El Nido, Palawan, where she lives with her fiancé and, together, make those beautiful journals. (In a few months, after years of living in Palawan, they are sailing to Australia to live there. Yes, they have a boat.)

I can't afford to join her workshops (at 5,000 PHP, including the cost of materials), so, last night, I started reading Quick Leather Bindings. Nat said that you can buy good cow leather in Bulacan, at 1,300 PHP per cow. Let's see where this goes.

When Can We Go

2004-10-05T13:20:00.000+08:00

My car is senile. It's doing weird things these last few months that can only be explained by old age.

My car is 1990 Toyota Corolla which I bought second hand in 1995, while I was still in grad school. 230,000 bucks. It had been a great ride those first few years, and I was more grateful then. I showered it with affection and Turtle Wax. I vacuumed and Armor-All-ed it. I patted the dashboard once in a while.

With each pothole I hit, I apologized to the car.

Nearly a decade later, my father keeps on asking, How's the car? I keep on saying, it's great, no problems. I never bothered him with the facts.

There would have problems about once a year. A tolerable average. But half a dozen problems within the span of a month is a whole different matter.

It started a month ago with the overheating (too often), the idling (way too high) and the breaks (too soft). I brought it to my favorite car repair shop in Marikina, FBR Autoklinika. A few days later, when I got the car, it felt strong and happy. A week later, the cold wind from the aircon disappeared. Hot air was blowing into my face.

I quickly had it checked at a nearby car aircon repair shop. Replace everything, they said. 16,000 bucks, they said. Okay, I said, and drove out of there. I quickly called my favorite car repair shop and they said to bring it in. That was a week ago.

So I've been driving to work with no aircon. It's okay when the car is moving and wind is going inside. But traffic, as they say, is hell. It's hot when I stop, and the hot air from the busted aircon hardly helps.

I'm just waiting for my budget to free up so I can afford to have the aircon fixed. In my head, I ask myself--Should I junk this car? Should I get a new car? When will I win all these raffle contests? I never say them out loud; I don't want my car to overhear.

Something Tells Me

2004-10-04T01:02:00.000+08:00

Ghost World has been playing on cable TV, with Thora Birch and Scarlett Johannson. Try to catch it. Based on a comic book by Dan Clowes.

Thora and Scarlett play Enid and Becky, best friends, teenagers in a weird urban-suburban world. They separate themselves from the rest of the world with their observations. The world is largely ridiculous to them, worthy of disdain. They do not want to be part of anything.

They are struggling to make sense of their world.

Enid ends up falling for this sorry guy (Steve Buscemi) that they played trick on. Enid and Becky like going through the classified ads. They find this pathetic personal ad from a guy obsessing about a girl he doesn't know. Enid calls the guy and pretends to be the girl, and sets up a meeting with him. They see him arrive and wait and leave. They follow him home.

It turns out the guy is named Seymour, a nobody who collects old country music records. Enid buys a record from him for a dollar seventy-five. Enid admits to Becky that she find him cool: he's the opposite of everything she hates, a clueless dork.

That's the part I caught recently.

I like movies with talking and observations and unexpected turns, like those of Richard Linklater (Slackers, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise). Such are my ideal conversations, just talking and connecting the whole day long. And the world is just a backdrop to the ideas and plots in out shared minds.

That's why I have this blog, with a renewed sense of purpose. I'll talk and you reply (by using the comments link), then we chatter on forever.

It's been quite a while since I've flexed, let go, and written anything of interest to myself. Since graduating from college in 1993, all the writing I've done is for work or for personal theraphy. Nothing for the sheer enjoyment of writing. Talking with my fingers.

Do Not Inhale

2004-10-02T03:11:00.000+08:00

How serious can a weblog be? And not be. Do-be-do-be-wop. Or not to be.

For example, Maud said that Wolcott said that blogs are scaring the shit out of print magazines in the US. I can imagine that situation. A lot of blog content are more entertaining, more reliable, and absolutely immediate, compared to glossies. All the content without the ads.

In the Philippines, there seems to a wide blogging community, which is generally young--from late teens (college students) to twenties. I've encountered a lot of student blogs who link to their barkada, each with their own blogs. Then, widely dispersed, there are young Filipinos living in the US, local writers and poets, urbanites, foreigners (kids of expats, missionaries, and volunteers).

The best so far, I daresay, is Chona in the City: the adventures of Super Chona. It is the blog of a fictional character, Chona Mae, a maid who is sometimes allowed to use the computer to surf the Internet and update her blog. The English used is an unusual, and generally funny, attempt at approximating Chona Mae's personality, intelligence, and linguistic temperament. It would be great to believe that it's a real blog of a real Chona Mae, but the language, if you read closely, reveals a different sensibility and flair for words. If the real author can keep this up for even just a year, I will applaud the effort.

What I haven't seen yet are local political blogs.

There are already a lot of websites that share links and news about politics and activism and culture, but no blogs yet. I hope there are, and I just failed to find them. It is in political and cultural blogging that Filipinos can display and document their richness and power. Why haven't they? Why haven't we?

Especially now, with everything falling apart, there is a greater need to respond to the anxieties that are spreading and building. There is so much to talk about: poverty, economics, arts, culture, government, free speech, civil liberties, freedom of information, migration, diaspora, sustainability, urban decay and unrest, so on and so on.

And anyone can do it, even the kids, who usually talk about going out, going through their classes, bitching about friends and crushes, going to basketball games, parents, sibling, Tagaytay, Boracay, angst, love, who am I, happiness.

We don't need another blog engine, just a blog republic that categorizes and connects each and every post to somehow approximate making sense of the online citizens. Aha--another idea.

Why Did the Chicken

2004-10-02T01:24:00.000+08:00

I'm so full of myself. Another blog! This is a public-private act, as if I'm writing on stage, like a spelling bee, and I after each answer I hold up my small chalk-board.

I'll use this to sort out plans and ideas. For example, I'm hoping to produce wrapping papers for Christmas. I want to beat those five-peso wrappers that people sell on the sidewalk. How do you make a five-peso wrapper? I'll get more ideas, if I do get to go to Divisoria this weekend. If it doesn't rain or if it isn't too hot. Or if I don't get tamad.

I have so many ideas that I don't get to do. Ask around. So expect more of those. I'll be excited, of course, but it's a toss-up which one becomes a reality.

It's scary to have all of these unused ideas. Am I all air and no action? To an extent, yes, because I enjoy imagining things, making things work in my head, figuring things out, getting excited over the possibilities. Making it real, actually doing it, is a different matter: I have to believe in it, have even just a bit of passion for it.

I read somewhere long ago, when I was so young, wondering why I don't write back to my sister in the US and other friends abroad--that if even up to now, despite the intention, you haven't managed to sit down and write that letter, then you never meant to write that letter.

My ideas are like that, like a Russian roulette, like pin-the-tail, like Takeshi's Castle: I will keep on coming up with ideas, brilliant, crazy, inane, until one idea resonates clearly with my passion.

You Never Ever Know Until

2004-10-01T14:49:00.000+08:00

Another blog, another website. The never-ending quest of looking for my reflection in this vast, new, and imaginary world of information networks.

How does it happen? I seem to be getting into a lot of things now, without meaning to. It's like a Quotable Quote from Reader's Digest--if you open up yourself, the world will come in.

For the first time in my life (goddamn, I'm turning 32), after college at least, I'm doing extra-curricular activities. I'm trying to sell hand-made journals. I'm trying to make a scrapbook/photo album design (everyone is asking for it). I'm still trying to finish a watercolor portrait I promised for a baby cousin. I volunteered to do the layout for the "homecoming issue" of the next Alumni Guidon. I volunteered to help out with the upcoming .MOV digital film festival. I also volunteered for some editing-writing-graphics job for the US e-voting campaigns.

And during a cousin's wedding (about a month ago), my oldest nephew (two months older than me) suggested we run a coffee farm. Start off with one hectare for three years and see how it goes. Iberica? Robusta? I can't remember which.

A business which I'm stil trying to start is Guhit.com: I represent illustrators. Nothing there yet, except for helping out my "stable of artists" (I have three) fix the contract for their new projects with existing client.

At home, I've been experimenting with home-made replacements to junkfood and soda. I made my own very sweet oatmeat bars and my own iced tea.

For Christmas, I'm also trying to come up with more stuff to sell at bazaars, on top of the journals and the (hopefully) scrapbooks, like pencils and wrapping paper.

I'm in this mode: What can I make? What can I sell? What can I make and sell?