MY NEW BLOG: The Ciudadista: Life in the City

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

One of my very first Letters from New Zealand

This was one of my first real letters from New Zealand I sent it to one of my friends back in Manila. This letter was sent through email. I discovered it as it was in my sent messages folders on my webmail. While I read it again I realised how silly I was as I wrote my impressions about people I met and things saw here.

This letter was sent around November two years ago. This was written in Filipino. Pardon for any wrong Filipino grammar or spelling.

Hi ulit,

Kung saan-saan ang pinanggalingan ng mga nagaaral sa university. 80% mga caucasoid na taga rito, sa tingin ko ha. merong taga Hapon, Tsina, Malaysia at ako Pilipino! meron ding mga Maori at mga matatanda. Meron din akong mga alam na may trabaho na. (Alam mo ba yung isang janitor dito may kotse, honda civic ang sasakyan, talo pa ang ibang empleyado diyan sa Pilipinas) Nakakatuwa na ang mga may trabaho na ay nagnanais pang magaral!

Ang tagsibol na nararanasan ng buong Nueva Zelanda ay ang pinakamalamig sa loob ng 20 taon! ayon sa ulat panahon kanina, ang pinakamainit na temperatura bukas ay 15 degrees celcius lang! ang lamig lamig noon! pero gusto ko sa mga malamig na lugar para di na kailangan ng bentilador! at feeling mo nag-e-aircon ka 24/7!

Habang sinusulat ko ito ay naglalaba rin ako. yung labang nabanggit ko ay labang washing machine at dryer. hi-tech na ako! 1.5 oras lang nalabhan at tuyo na ang labada mo! ang maganda dito kasama sa bayad ng hostel ang bayad pero ang sabong panlaba ay siyempre sariling gastos ko. kung interesado ka ang sabong ginagamit ko ay FAB with
Built-in Fabric Conditioner (Wild Lavander Fragrance) (1.5 kilos) gawa ng Colgate-Palmolive N.Z.

HETO PA: Kanina nanonood ako ng TV sa mga TV rooms dito, TV One ang pinanonood ko kanina. Tungkol sa "Confessions of A Flight Attendant" alam mo ba merong umamin na nilagyan niya ng gin yung gatas ng bata para lang makatulog! Meron pinahid yung tea bag sa inidoro bago gumawa ng tsaa!

Habang nanonood ako merong nakatira ditong mga Indonesian at niyayaya akong kumain! Dahil kumain na ako ayoko na talaga. Kanina nakita ko sa ref na merong parang chili sauce at nakita kong Made in Indonesia. Hindi ko talaga maisip kung ano ang lasa ng luto nila! yuk siguro! kaya sabi ko, thanks nalang! Yuck talaga siguro ang South-East Asian food in general (siyempre hindi kasama luto natin), sobrang anghang siguro! Yuck, yuck yuck!
[Now, I know and realise that South East Asian dishes are NOT yuck.]

Kanina ang hapunan namin ay lasagne, patatas, kanin, meat balls.

Ano pa ba ang masasabi ko sa iyo...?

Maraming bata ngayon dito (10-12 taong gulang) 'Summer Camp' daw nila dito hanggang Biyernes. Medyo maingay sila pero kids will still be kids. Ikaw nga eh alam ko noong bata ka ayaw kang isama sa mga slumber party kasi palagi kang kumakanta ng mga Dolly Parton, the Platters at Yoyoy Villame na mga kanta na sintonado naman at kumakanta ka habang tulog. (joke lang ha, baka patayin mo ako paguwi ko.)

Meron pala akong nakilala dito. Isa siyang Indian muslim. Medyo taklesa siya at medyo matalas ang kanyang dila. Alam mo ba muntik-muntikan ng narinig ng mga taong sinasabi niyang "dumb" o "stupid" sila! Ramadan pala ngayon kaya nag-fa-fast daw siya pero merong mga araw na hindi daw siya nag-fa-fast, again sabi niya. Ang weird no!

bye for now,
me

The controversial mailer

Around December 2003, the New Zealand First political party has circulated a mailer accusing Asian immigrants of clogging the welfare system, hospitals and rising crime.

The following are some of the reactions regarding this issue:

Condemn Peters' Anti-Asian Pamphlet
Editorial: Peters leaflet crude and deplorable
NZ First circular 'disgusting' says Dalziel
Garth George: Like it or not, Peters' pamphlet pretty much spot on

PS. There are no stuff.co.nz articles because articles from stuff.co.nz are inaccessible the day after they are published.

Happy days ahead?

With Mrs. Arroyo's new mandate are happy days ahead?

multiple punctuation marks

I am very much annoyed by people who send me e-mails or instant messages with unecessary multiple punctuation marks like "?" and "!".  I think it is ugly to the eyes and seems childish and immature.  To me it is no different RECEIVING E-MAIL IN ALL CAPS.

A few days ago I made someone angry for saying that I do not like to see multiple punctuation marks with her correspondence to me.  She said I was being paranoid.  Some people can be incoherent!

Is it wrong to have some standards to your communication?  Some people just cannot accept feedback.


Sunday, June 27, 2004

is organised religion important?

I had a chat with my friend who was doing a religious studies program (which has a reputation of being really really mind boggling) at university posed a challenge to me, is organised religion is important. This also coincides with a similar challenge on Sassy Lawyer's blog. The following are just my humble thoughts on the issue...

Some people say that the world can do without organised religion on the wake of various scandals involving the clergy of the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations.

I think it is arrogant for some people to give the above statement just because they are well-educated, well read, and have learned and adopted various philosophical and political schools of thought.

For me these people do not fully understand the true essence and meaning of the Church’s doctrines. I suspect that these people generalise based on what was mentioned in news media.

I think my parish priest’s homily last year regarding the sex scandal issue was that we do not worship or idolise our priests, bishops and popes, they are just instruments of God. We only worship and follow God and that is the most important thing above all. If an organisation has erring members it does not make an organisation wrong or irrelevant. For example, if half of those who serve in the justice system are corrupt it does not make the rest of the justice system corrupt and thus not make organised justice irrelevant. (Thanks Enbrethiliel for this fitting analogy!)

If the servants of God have sinned it is because they are only human but never an excuse to be answerable to the rules of man and the law of God.

I absolutely do not believe that we do not need organised religion. It gives peace of mind, grace and hope to its members in this fast paced and increasingly materialistic world. I truly empathise and understand the feelings of those people who saw the ugly side of the Church but the ugly side is not the relfection of the entire Church and it members. A lot of concepts in today’s secular western world came from Christianity like human rights, ethics, morals and values. In my case, the Church was a good companion during my times of loneliness, sorrow and depression (I'd rather pray and go to Mass than take Prozac).

A lot of people have big expectations from our religions. It will not answer all the world’s problems but it serves as a guide to mankind’s actions through the ages. It's eternal truths of peace, love and justice will be passed on for the ages to come even if it has erring members or not.

We forgot that people, who like us are prone to sin and are not perfect, also make the Church and other faiths. Again, they can be forgiven and change. And yes, the Church and various churches have made mistakes but it is not enough a reason to brand them as irrelevant. If we have grievances against our faiths their servants are always willing to listen to us (because it is part of their work).

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Bye bye 20/20 for TV3?

Trouble As TVNZ Outbids TV3 For 20/20
(Source: XtraMSN News, The Independent NZ)

TV3, a television station of CanWest Global Communications in New Zealand is crying foul when public broadcaster, TVNZ outbids it for the rights to ABC US's current affairs show 20/20. TV3 is said to have held the rights for 20/20 for a decade.

TV3 believes that the TVNZ may have paid more than USD700,000 for the rights and accuses the public broadcaster for wasting taxpayer money on things that it already has or will not use. TVNZ already has Sunday, a show with the similar format as 20/20 but mainly has New Zealand related content.

20/20 on TV3 is shown every Sunday from 7:30pm and shows New Zealand current affairs and the latest features from 20/20 USA. TV3 also has the rights for CBS USA's 60 Minutes, which also has the same format as 20/20 but shown every Monday from 7:30pm.

I think both TV3 and TVNZ are wasting their time and money in paying huge sums of royalty for these US current affairs shows. They should have developed their own current affairs shows by just following the formats of their overseas counterparts. Where is the creativity? Where is the talent? There are still a lot of untold stories about New Zealand, wake-up TV3 and TVNZ!

In this case, I think Philippine broadcasters like ABS-CBN and GMA are better than their kiwi counterparts. These TV networks have produced excellent current affairs shows like GMA's award winning "I-Witness" documentaries and ABS-CBN's "Magandang Gabi Bayan" (Good Evening Nation, direct translation).

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

condoms may not protect you from...

genital warts.

How do they spread?

Genital warts are very contagious and are spread during oral, genital, or anal sex with an infected partner. About two-thirds of people who have sexual contact with a partner with genital warts will develop warts, usually within three months of contact.

In women, the warts occur on the outside and inside of the vagina, on the opening (cervix) to the womb (uterus), or around the anus. In men, genital warts are less common. If present, they usually are seen on the tip of the penis. They also may be found on the shaft of the penis, on the scrotum, or around the anus. Rarely, genital warts also can develop in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sex with an infected person.

Genital warts often occur in clusters and can be very tiny or can spread into large masses in the genital or anal area.


Source and for more information visit: Human Papillomavirus and Genital Warts National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA government

The warts may be removed but the virus will continue to stay in the body.

Condoms may not protect males or females as other exposed areas are not covered by it.

The virus that causes genital warts may lead to some cancers.

Actual photos of genital warts (not for the faint hearted):
Mediscan site
eMedicine site
Penile genital warts from US Navy Environmental Health Center
Anal genital warts from US Navy Environmental Health Center
Vulva genital warts from US Navy Environmental Health Center

My unsolicited advice, be careful when engaging in sexual activities with other people. It still good to not have casual sex or be monogamous.

Monday, June 21, 2004

poor restaurant service

Who does not hate getting poor service at restaurants? It is not acceptable because we pay money to eat their food and part of it is the service.

This afternoon our group of six friends ate at a local Chinese restaurant. All of us ordered quarter chicken with fried rice and a litre of cola to share. After an hour of eating and talking we decided to "move on." We went to the cashier to pay. As a common practice here, we pay for our own meal and share the cost of the cola among us.

We went to the cashier and say that we share the cost of all the meals and the price of the cola. The cashier said that she cannot do that and it was hard to divide. Her mobile phone rang and began talking in Chinese. She even gave us, the customers the keep quiet sign while we wait for her to finish her phone call. Imagine, her call was more important than waiting customers. Going back to us she again said that she cannot do the transaction while she had a calculator on her table.

What we wanted was:
quarter chicken ($6.70) x 6 orders = $40.20
litre of cola ($4.00) x 1 order = $4.00
TOTAL = $44.20
Divided by 6, so each of us must pay = $7.366666 rounding it using the Swedish system (common practice here) will make it $7.35

The cashier did not understand what we wanted (useless to argue to those who can't understand) so we just paid $6.70 and one friend decided to pay for the cola as his treat (nice!).

I was so dissapointed, first the cashier can't do simple problem solving (it does not even involve calculus) and prioritised her phone call than finishing the sale. I pity her, she should have been properly trained by the owner of the restaurant.

badmouthing the Philippines

Instances to prove our damaged culture

In this article, Emil Jurado believes that the trait of badmouthing the Philippines is a proof of "the Philippines' damaged culture."

I have to agree that badmouthing the Philippines is a bad trait of some (hopefully not most) Filipinos (My parents and relatives did not badmouth the Philippines and neither will I). It is just so easy to see bad things for some. All they do is talk and talk and talk and talk about how bad the Philippines is and it just ends there. They do not do anything to help solve the problems they hate. If all they can do is talk then they must shut their bad mouths. Talk is so cheap!

Although the pen is mightier than the sword for some, actions speak louder than words!

I wish this is final

Arroyo wins presidency
Canvass over; it’s GMA
Arroyo, de Castro winners as long canvass ends
GMA Wins!

May GMA's 6 years be of true service for the needy nation.

Sunday, June 20, 2004

The Silver Ring Thing

Call me conservative, old fashioned, boring, geek or loser but I still think promiscuity sucks. There are many risk that may happen like unwanted pregnancy, violence and worse of all sexually transmited diseases (ie. AIDS/HIV, genital warts, herpes).

That is why I still believe that the best solution to the above mentioned problems is abstaining from sexual activity. The real safe sex is not having it.

A month ago the BBC featured a documentary about American teens joining an abstinence programme called The Silver Ring Thing. Members are given a silver ring as a sign of their abstinence. With the help of the group, good friends and God these teens hope to be celibate until they marry.

Resources:
What Do the Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Look Like? very graphic, beware!
The BBC documentary "American Virgins"
STDs Information
Silver Ring Thing official website
True Love Waits official website

Special Disclaimer: The author is not Evangelical or Fundamentalist Christian

Saturday, June 19, 2004

World without Filipinos ... by Michael Tan

World without Filipinos ... - Jun. 16, 2004

You cannot appreciate the value of people until they are gone.

What some people here think about the Philippines

Often when you say "the Philippines" to New Zealanders who are 25 years of age or more they won't forget to mention Imelda Marcos' 3,000 pairs of shoes.

If you are unlucky the infamous "Abu Sayyaf" will surface.

Other New Zealanders do know the Philippines by name and its location but it ends there. Some even do not know where it is so I often say, "below Taiwan, above Borneo" and get an "ohhh, okay, I see." (After speaking or doing some small talk you may get a complement on how good our spoken English is.)

[Going off topic] We have a friend from Papua New Guinea, in her 40s and she pronounces "Philippines" as "Philip-pines," pines as in pine trees when we first met her. After months of correcting she now pronounces it like what it should be.

For me I think I'd rather keep the Philippines unknown in exchange for negative publicity or bad news.
"behind those big laughs are long faces"

Friday, June 18, 2004

What I like about New Zealand and the people

Overall, they are warm and friendly. Their small population may account for that.

They are laid back and fairly egalitarian. They do not care which brand you wear or income class you belong.

They know how to work hard and play hard.

Everything is kept simple like applying for government services.

Public servants (elected officials) are "down to earth" they are easy to reach. I can drop a line to the Prime Minister or a district councilor and can expect a response.

Doctors here and back home

My throat is sore. When I arrived home around two hours ago I immediately ate an orange, a zinc pill and other vitamins. I did not expect that my throat will sore this much if I did I would have passed by the nearest convenience store to buy losenges. I was thinking of drinking paracetamol but I do not have them except for Ibuprofen pain killers.

My sore throat has made me think of how health care works in this country. If you have a medical complaint you need to first go to a GP or general practitioner. Your GP will make initial diagnosis and may give you a prescription, medical advice or refer you to a specialist. This is okay but GP prices start from $15 to $60! Sometime GPs may not give you an exact diagnosis of your condition. (I have heard three stories about these.) Aside from that you need to make an appointment. (Did you know that there are no board exams to be a doctor in New Zealand?!)

Back home in the Philippines, you can go straight to a specialist and direct to a hospital. You do not need to make an appointment in most cases. You can also get an accurate diagnosis. I remember the doctors at the Philippines National Kidney Institute who diagnosed and "healed" me when I was young (thanks to our family's HMO too). I recovered from my UTI.

I miss the caring hands and expertise of doctors back home.

I wish that by tomorrow my condition will be better after I take losenges and probably see a local doctor.

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Draft child citizenship law critiqued

tvnz.co.nz | NEWS | POLITICS | Draft child citizenship law critiqued

In the Philippines it is simple, if your parents are citizens of the Republic of the Philippines you gain Filipino citizenship.

I don't know the reason why New Zealand and other nations have citizenship gained by birth? It just makes other problems like birth tourism (pregnant women giving birth in other countries so that their babies gain the citizenhip of the nation of birth).

The ACT party's new leader

New Zealand News - NZ - Act's perk-buster pledges to change his image

Since Don Brash's Orewa speech the National Party's (center-right) popularity rose and even topped Helen Clark's Labour Party (center-left). National's rise has also been a demise of smaller parties like ACT (Association of Consumers and Taxpayers, liberal), New Zealand First (mostly right-wing views), Greens and United Future (centrist, Christian democrats).

I believe ACT's share has slumped to less than the 5 percent(?) requirement to have a seat in parliament.

Political commentators have seen that New Zealanders side with the dominant parties during important issues such as the race issue raised by Don Brash.

Rodney Hide, being ACT's new leader must be able to regain lost support. His party may not be the main opposition or government party but it has to be viable enough to have a bigger voice in parliament that has been dominated by Labour and National. Good luck, Rodney Hide.

On a personal note, I am not a fan of center-right, right-wing and libertarian ideologies. I am more of a centrist with leanings to center-left and Christian democratic principles.

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Virgin coconut oil wins the war of oils

Virgin coconut oil wins the war of oils - Jun. 16, 2004

The Philippines has one of the largest coconut plantations in the world. It was not able to economically gain from it because of falling world prices and the popularity of palm oil.

The news report said that virgin coconut oil has antimicrobial properties. It has been used to help cure some SARS patients and some skin disorders. It also has healty fatty acids that helps lower cholesterol.

This is good news as the Philippines suffered heavy bashing from Malaysian palm oil and US soybean industry groups.

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

Abortion rate still rising

New Zealand News - NZ - Abortion rate still rising

Sad but true...

World's most expensive cities -- a list of 144

World's most expensive cities led by Tokyo, London - Jun. 14, 2004
The Complete List

Tokyo and London still tops the list.

It is surprising to know that Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Viet Nam and Jakarta, Indonesia ranked 29th, 36th and 45th, respectively. They are the most expensive cities to live in South East Asia together with Singapore ranked 46th.

In this list Auckland and Wellington ranked 80th and 86th, respectively. Manila ranked 138th, in the bottom quartile.

Sunday, June 13, 2004

Bit about me

I consider myself a guest and privilaged to be in New Zealand.

As much as possible I'd rather spend on most products that are made inside New Zealand than those important. If the price difference is 100% that is a different story.

Doublespeak

Doublespeak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DepEd mulls Muslim lessons in elementary schools - Jun. 13, 2004

DepEd mulls Muslim lessons in elementary schools - Jun. 13, 2004

Now this sounds like political corectness (PC). There is not even Christian lessons available at public schools (in this dominant Christian nation).

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Filipino Independence -- 106 years on

On 12 June 1898 Filipino resistance against Spanish occupation lead by Emilio Aguinaldo declared the nation's independence from the ruler miles away. It was not until 4 July 1945 until the Philippines gained full independence from all colonial rule.

Can I be proud to claim that the Filipino independence struggle is the first in Asia? Believe me there are many cynics who would mock me for saying this. These cynics favourite lines against this statement are, "our/your nation is independent but was left behind by "late bloomers" like Singapore;" and "was independence worth it while half of our/your people are poor."

I really do not care for these cynics I'd rather have the current status quo than be a territory, protectorate or dominion governed from afar.

Cynics are depressed, ignorant and hopeless fault finders.

Saturday, June 05, 2004

Racism?

Some related recent news:

Danger Of Growing Racism Sub-culture
Christchurch meeting on racism postponed
Anti-racism rally organisers ask questions over right-wing extremists
Front ready to fight back at anti-racism march
7 per cent 'too many' in Christchurch (some findings of a recent survey on racism)


I know there are cases of some racist insults or acts (I may have experienced one) but these are isolated and not necessarily reflect New Zealander attitudes as a whole.

Racist groups like, the New Zealand National Front has no place in New Zealand politics.

Friday, June 04, 2004

Wellington bashing c/o John Banks

John Banks fires broadside at Wellington


John Banks' bashing is not what you expect from a public servant. Name calling is an act of the uneducated and uncultured.

It is good that Wellington mayor, Kerry Prendergast did not stoop down to Banks' level.

John Banks' is wrong. Local government leaders in every country must be unified for the common good of all their residents and the entire nation. Making enemies would not work and would only polarize.

Auckland is a beautiful and big city but it is not the entire New Zealand. New Zealand is also made of Wellington, Kaitaia, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Tauranga, Invercargill, Gore, Porirua and other towns and cities.

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Bible quoting devils?

The opposition politicians of the KNP and FPJ are nothing but "bible quoting devils" according to an interview with a lawyer on 24 Oras.

Why did not the opposition complain in the precinct level initially for any cheating done by the administration? Why do they have to wait until the national canvassing? Is it because they are trying to get the most media mileage? Is it a last ditch effort of a losing candidate?

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

My friend's view

This is a CC: copy of an email from my friend living in Auckland sent to me a long time ago. (Posted here with permission)

Creative Commons privilages for this particular post is waived. NO "COPY PASTE," REDISTRIBUTION, LIFTING OR COPYING ALLOWED FOR THIS PARTICULAR POST. ONLY LINKING THIS SITE OR POST IS ALLOWED. (as requested by my friend, sorry.)

Date: 3 April 2004 21:15:17 +1200 (NZST)
From: xxxxxxxxx@xtra.co.nz
Subject: Living down here
To: (5 people)
CC: (to me)

=================================================

Hi ALL,

This is my reply to your countless emails regarding New Zealand. As you know I have been living in New Zealand for more than seven years now with my parents (still :-P ).

A few weeks ago I received many emails from some of you and some relatives back home [The Philippines] about here. I believe this is related to a documentary aired on Channel 2’s “The Correspondents” doco [documentary] program. I am not quite sure what was the content of the show was. They told me that after seeing the program New Zealand seemed like "paradise" or a new "America" for them. They have an impression that life is easy here and that it is a "family oriented" society.

I find it strange for some of you and others to see that as life here down under is not what it seems. There is more to green meadows, cows, sheep, snow covered mountains and Lord of the Rings.

Life is not easy here like any other place. Although there may not be many hungry and homeless people here but that is because people can receive social welfare handouts.

It can also be hard to land a job here. It is a well-known fact here that new immigrants who are well educated are underemployed. There are immigrant taxi drivers here who are medical doctors in their home country.

A lot of local employers demand relevant New Zealand work experience. As a fresh university graduate, I find it hard to look for a job too as the employers prefer those with experiences. That is why I take one-off jobs while actively applying for jobs to suit my statistics degree. You also have to strive harder to prove you are better or at least as good as or as competent as New Zealanders.

As for salaries and wages here, a job earning an equivalent of 80,000 pesos a month may seem big but its not enough for someone who has a family. That amount is just the gross salary without the income tax that would range from 25%. Aside from the tax there is a mandatory state accident insurance (ACC) premium charge that is subject to a 12.5% goods and services tax, which is paid from the employees salary. I think the technical term for that is "double taxation."

I know you would think that high taxes is fine as long as the state gives you quality public services. While that thought is correct it does not seem true here. Normal waiting times for outpatient services in state hospitals can be from four hours or more. Elective surgery waiting lists can range from months to years. (Some doctors or general practicioners cannot even give an accurate diagnosis!) The reason for this sad state of health care is that some New Zealand doctors and/or health workers opt to work in Australia. This is no different to the brain drain happening right now in the Philippines.

As for “family oriented” I kind of dispute that. I think legalized prostitution and abortion is not considered as family friendly by a typical Pinoy [Filipino].

I don’t want to give all of you an impression that I don’t want you to be in or migrate to New Zealand. It is just that I don’t want people to expect too much and probably regret going here in the end. This is reality and how I see it.

Things to think about,
(name withheld)

Related posts:
Racism?
they're not chosen on by how much money they'll send
More On Saturday's Anti-Racism March
Violent clashes at anti-racism rally
A Warning for Filipinos Wanting to Migrating to New Zealand
the truth about New Zealand opportunities
Why immigration is getting tougher...