Best Posts in Forum: Expat Section

I've always been surprised that non citizen seniors have been able to take advantage of the occasional benefit which is plainly intended for the locals.
Enjoy it when you can,don't complain about it when you can't.

 

In my smart arse way, that is my entire point.

No professional is going to give me a blood transfusion based on the blood type put on my driver's license (in the Philippines anyway). Even though I carry a card issued by Hi-Precision Diagnostics with my blood type confirmed in large letters, Silliman would not give me a blood transfusion without confirming my blood type (at least they would not do it 3 years ago). So blood type on driver's license is just more bureaucratic BS to give clerks more to do. IMHO of course.

 

I'm not a practitioner of hippy, new ageism so I don't know what their argument would be for non-violence.

Here are my own points.

1) Unless I'm interested in watching someone be a total @ss and to potentially witness a fight, then I'm leaving as soon as this person begins to become a centerpiece for my night at the bar. I get that you don't always want to leave every time someone is being an @ss. For me, that's has increasingly been reality though. As I get older, I have less tolerance for this sort of thing.

2) The first item largely only happens in places which allow this to happen. Things can happen quickly, but ownership which is vigilant in setting the culture of the bar and enforcing strict rules goes a long way in preventing this sort of thing. This is easier done in a small bar, but with good staff it can happen in a large bar as well. You act on bad behavior quickly. You eject people who are being obnoxious. You ban people who are regularly a problem. You set the tone that bad behavior will not be tolerated.

3) I'm not anti-violence. Police have to use force to do their job. Force is violence, though a pro will attempt for the violence to be controlled. I support the U.S. government participating in armed conflicts. I loved how Richard Marcinko (claims to be the founder of the so-called "Seal Team 6") described how his team used the idea of "a monopoly of violence" to take control of a situation.

The movie, Roadhouse, comes to mind here. Be nice until it's time to stop being nice. Bad actors will get removed from the bar with necessary force. Force implies violence. But this violence should be carried out by a pro charged with the task to do this. It should not be carried out by customers, especially those who are pissed off and drunk.

4) I'm more interested in risk management than non-violence. Violence is highly chaotic and dangerous. I have much more important things to deal with than getting into fights. Bob acting like an *sshole isn't my problem to solve in this world. I'm not concerned with local drama and I just want to stay well clear of if. I don't need for a situation I could have avoided to result in me having to deal with medical or legal issues. I have too many things going on and I couldn't fit that headache into my life. I try to pick my battles wisely and a Whynot scuffle is not a wise decision for me.

5) I realize that some bars are far more violent than Whynot. I feel that a bar is a culture and fighting can sometimes be an extension of that culture. I have had so many friends get into fights for the silliest reasons. Eventually I figured out that they simply loved to fight and the silly reasons were actually a code. Again, the ownership needs to take control of the culture.

6) While you make a good case for the reasons that the actions were justified here, often the situation isn't as clear cut. Often these actions against assholes are based on factors such as how much the would be hero has had to drink and emotions. Rather than attempt to figure out if I'm making the right decision, I use the points above as a heuristic (rule of thumb.) It boils down to - pass the problem off and get the f*ck out of dodge before the guns start blazing.

We're cool now. Interestingly, info from the night you witnessed all this never reached me. I didn't know who was involved when I read your post. I didn't intend to point out anyone specific as this isn't info which would change my position on the subject.

I appreciate you taking the more realistic side here. Act like this *sshole in 100 random bars through the world and you will end up on the floor in a large percentage of them.

 

i like tikis in the house, they keep the insect population down and provide entertainment for me. they've learned to come when i call out tiki tiki tiki like you would call a cat.

some hang out on the stovetop under the grates and wait for me to feed them small bits of ground meat on my fingertip, they're not afraid of a cooking vessels placed over him or the piezoelectric igniter or the burner flame.

they'll try to snitch bits of food when i'm prepping dinner or take a sip of my evening cocktail. i wasn't watching once and found a tiki tail poking out of my kaluá drink; guess he had too much to drink.

there's several that follow me from the kitchen to my desk and stalk me for food. one tiki hangs out under my keyboard and comes out for bits of tiki snacks that i put on a spoon for it. it also, licks the condensation on a cup.

the tukos knock things over and are too big to be indoor pets.

it's more fun in the fils...

 

Tom great pictures and memories. Looks like you got off to a great start on the first date.

I must have not clearly defined position on my first post regarding Chaperones. I am not against chaperones, I am against the mis-use of a chaperone as an economic benefit to the Filipina and her family for a meal, will little to no interest in developing a relationship. In Tom’s case, his future Asawa showed respect and clear thinking on her part in paying for the added family members attendance at the first chaperoned meeting. She was looking to meet “Tom the man” not “Tom the economic savior for the clan.” I appreciate the respect she showed to him and the whole process of trying to get to know someone and build a relationship. It was probably her way of introducing her family to Tom (my speculation). We have all heard you marry the family not just the woman here. She is obviously a very wise woman, which may be why Tom married her.

Congratulations Tom!

 

I agree with immigration controls because you simply cannot fit a quart into a pint pot - BUT to allow people to spend a fortune on Visas for 2.5 years, set up roots and occupations, and then cut them off is obscene. There are other ways to control immigration that are more reasonable.

 

Before you go to a lawyer, I would suggest that you visit the DTI ( department of tade and industry ) office located upstairs next door to BPI, San Jose Street. Take all your evidence including emails and text messages. They will let you know if they can help if the PLDT is not fulfilling their contract or if not they will tell you what legal recourse you may have. I would make the lawyer my last choice, as the cost may be exhorbitant and the outcome not to your liking. I had a problem with Cignal where they demanded money, even though I compied with the contract termination rules. DTI told me to ignore all bills as they would resolve the problem. A couple of months later all billing ceased.

 

In addition to the previous answers, for those planning on staying long term it certainly doesn't hurt to show a little respect to the local culture - not to mention showing a bit of respect to our wives by learning at least a bit of her language.

I certainly respect those traveling to live in the US making an effort to learn English, shouldn't I do the same when I am the traveler?