I have 3 job offers.

Critical Mass, London. As a flash designer

BBDO Proximity Canada.
and now…

BBDO Guererro Ortega, Philippines. … waiting on offer

need help. now.

Why does it cost so little to live in beautiful places?

Why does it cost so much to live in urban crowded areas?

i’m here in Laguna where life is simple. In big urban areas everything is fast and expensive. For the past 2 nights i’ve seens stars i’ve never seen. I’ve seen plants i’ve never seen. I’ve breathed air i’ve never seen. I’ve seen poverty i’ve never seen. Are people less important if they do not have as much material things as we do in a western world?
Things you take for granted altert

Language. Why can’t I speak two languages?, I think I should have been able to speak 3 …everybody should. If you have kids, force your kids too.. they’ll be better off in the long run. If my 8 year old neice can….. I am amazed an 8 year old can speak two languages. Brains are young and can absorb and learn so much. ….

Theme Music - Sing a Simple song, Sly and the Family stone

After another night out at one of Manila’s many nightclubs, I had to pack up my things again as I am off to Los Banos in Laguna. Its about an 1 - 2 hrs south of Manila. I immediately woke up to my aunts telling me that my cousins and aunt is here to pick me up to stay at there place.

We had a reservation at a hotel in Tagatay. Tagatay is an inactive volcano that is surrounded by ocean water and has great scenery. At the lunch I witnessed a wonderful dance troupe that summarized the essential dances of Filipino culture. It ranged from Igorut to spanish influence folk dancing to tinikling.

Theme music - Let’s Dance, David Bowie

I truly believe everybody should teach english right after university or sometime right before a full-time job.

Reasons why.

1) You get working experience

2) Travel the world

3) Maintain the same university lifestyle

4) Meet interesting people

5) Learn a new language

Thanks to Chad and Tahric for their wonderful hospitality.

Last night we went out again. People here in Taiwan start having fun around 1:00AM and don’t leave until 5:00AM. The previous night we went to a Club Luxy and last night we went to Lava. All the girls like to wear nothing but Bra’s and short skirts. It almost has an import model feel to it and the guys like to hair primed and krimped by a hair stylist. Also another main contributor to style here is american popular culture. They like to dress ‘hip hop’, they played ‘hip hop’ at the clubs. But this was expected from me. This was not the culture shock. The culture shock happend outside the club.

So we were standing outside the Club waiting for my somebody who let us bypass cover and the line (big up to Kim) so we saw a white male stumbling towards the crowd of Taiwanese. The he decides to start picking fights with people in the line. The white male was inebriated more than alcohol because this guy shouldn’t have ‘walked’ home. Security guards for the club tried to defuse this man’s temper. He picked fights with 3 different groups of males and picked fights with security at the club, yet he still stood back up. He was ‘beaten’ down several times. There were times where rocks and stones were thrown at him. There was a time where a he was hit with a hammer. Kicked in the face, punch in the face, punched in the ribs. At the same time this white male just started yelling in some chinese jibberish. He taunted them, got beaten down, then got back up. Got beaten down. Let’s just say that he should be hurting real bad in the morning. If this was somewhere else other than Taiwan, he should have been seriously injured.  The culture shock happend when the Taiwanese police came. They tried to subdue the male. Telling him to calm down (20min after the 1st incident) yet he didn’t want to come down. Taiwan police do not like dealing with foreigners. So they just eventually just walked him home. No arrests, no police reports, nothing.

In any other western city. This male would either be in hospital, jail or both. Yet he was escorted back to his home with only bruises and some morning pain to show for it.

Theme musicEye of the Tiger - Survivor or The Benny Hill Show theme music

because I got harassed by Taiwanese police twice within an hour. My goal today was to find the infamous ‘Snake Alley’. Its another night market in Taipei where some restaurants specializes in Snake. I looked a bit lost then a ’squad car’ rolled up from behind me flashed their lights and they got out. 3 officers asked me questions that I didn’t understand. I answered in English and they were bewildered. They had the same cluelessness that I had when they asked me a questions. I asked “What’s the problem?”, they looked at each other, they had no idea what i was saying. The I said “Market?, Snakes?”…they pointed and i walked away and that was it. The second time as I was leaving Snake Alley, an officer on foot spotted me. I looked lost and I was. He stood in front of me  asked me some questions….I  looked dumb. I didnt know how to answer… so i took out my travel book/map and pointed to a map that had the MRT, the taipei subway system. Then the police pointed to the direction i wanted to go. And as for the snake eating, i didn’t it was fairly expensive and I didn’t know how to order.

I’m now in taiwan. A 2 hour flight

Here are some pics from the New Years in Boracay! Almost one month ago!… whoa!…

After the plane ride from manila to Caticlan you have to take a pedicab.

After the plane ride you had to take a boat ride to another island. (Boracay)

then you get to the resort

1) Religion. The Philippines is the largest sect of chrisitanity in Asia. Not to mention the other religions here as well…

2) Basketball. This is the national sport. Can you play ball in flip-flops!?!?

3) Eating. The eat 5 times a day here, regularily. Breakfast. Mirienda. Lunch. Mirienda. Dinner. Then maybe mirienda.

4) Going to the mall. Manila is has the largest mall in Asia!!!!

5) Karoke…. not proud of it, but they love it!!!…

As of the last days for my travelling companions, Melissa, Kevin, Mike and Priscilla, one of our last activities together here in the Philippines was quite a unique one. Mike’s Uncle (a  retired General in the Philippine army) invited us to take part to go to a shooting range here in the Manila.
The day began for me sleeping on the couch of my cousin’s house coming home from a late night sessions at club Ascend. I wake up 4 hours later to pick up my ticket to leave for Taiwan on the 22nd of Jan and I were to meet them at their hotel at 1ish. I picked up my ticket and on my way to the hotel I see Mike buying some food. So I join him on his galavanting trip to buy some Goldilocks for his family back home. Fast forward a couple hours later were at the military base in Manila with mikes fam. We are greeted by other retirees within the army and he debriefs us on how to hold and shoot a gun. I have never held a real pistol, nor have I shot a real gun before, none of us have. The closet thing to shooting a real gun is a b-b gun or a paintball gun. None of those have the power close to a real gun. There lying on the table lies two different ammunition. 9mm and ammo for a .45 calibre gun. Each of us took our turn to shoot 1 clip of the .45 and 9mm. All of us hit the targets and some photo ops more of the general’s friends came to the shooting range and brought their own weapons. One of the weapons….. a Sniper rifle!!!…what the hell is the guy doing with a sniper rifle????, some m14 sniper blah blah blah!!!>…..so we took advantage of some photo opportunities and some movies…. then he suggests “lets try it out!…. its nice!”…..Yess… all of us took a turn in shooting this massive beast!… I just hope US customs doesnt see these pics… all i need is to take some flying lessons!!!! …… joking!!!!..seriously!
Theme Music - Buck’em Down (Remix), Black Moon

After Subic Bay, my cousins and I took up shelter in one of the higher end parts of Metro Manila. Makati. Here we were supposed to checking into one of the newer cheaper hotels….. We haven’t book any hotels….. Melissa’s contact told us that there will be rooms available upon our arrival there at the hotel. When we got there…. there were no rooms available, so we had to rush at a feverish pitch to find a hotel….. we eventually found a beautfiul roach motel ….. my room smelled like ass and smoke. Melissa’s room smelled like humidity, smoke and fried lumpia and priscilla’s room didn’t smell that bad….. but one of the best parts the hotel was right smacked dab in the middle of the makati red light district. yeah we went into a couple of bars… just let me say that you would have seen more nakedness at a club or beach than at the bars…. uhm…. some stories short stories…. mike and priscilla got a ‘lapdance’…..i flirted with the hostess and kevin always gets picked up by filipino girls….. thats it… until next time…. going clubbing again on friday and saturday.. and hopefully taiwan next week.
Theme Music - Red light special, TLC