Philippine Travel Notes

Not everything has a story Ah, if you like, you can make the story Like that moon I now see It always rises from the sea It is history and never really A story Well, tonight let me tell you my story Ganito kasi yan it's like this sugad ito hini ingon ani... [pamati honey] I walked out of Café Lucia, hindi nag-walk-out, naglakad lang, looking for yosi, naubusan ako kasi. The cafe's outdoor area is a "smoking also" place. But they don't sell yosi dahil daw kadiri. Okay, me ganun! Mrs Manang Tindera at the waiting shed has a lot of cigarettes, except that, she didn't have Marlights. She suggested that I try checking out those other places beside Café Lucia. Yun, that is why I walked! I saw this 'other place' that seemed to be a restobar or café or something like that. Basta, irignoman! The name is Aguz. Look, their signboard says "Beer Garden". Hmm, me beerhouse pa pala these days! Oops okay, not "beer house", I stand e

Oh, this little piece of advise I saw this at BPI's ATM (Robinsons Mall Tacloban Branch).., Well, it says the message anyway, right? But it didn't keep me from smiling, knowing that some guard (sekyu, gwardya, ja-guar, bantay, chief) surely wrote that. Otherwise, oh how jologs of BPI staff, di ba? Di rin ako kagalingan sa englis, but then I guess this little note is proof that many of us Filipinos finish secondary education (high school) not mastering English grammar, pati na nga yata sa Pilipino, right? High school (yata) ang minimum qualification of a guard. But if they're not yet that 'communicative'.., sasabit tayo dyan.., Oh well... and mind you, on this very same day , BPI's ATM upstairs at the mall's second level (near The Handyman) also was the same kind of grammar. Oops, I meant, signage ngay-an. Upaya gad niyo BPI! At least, napapangiti tayo paminsan-minsan during our travels - kahit 'alang pera lahat nang ATM nila!

Here is a form I saw at the Customer Service Counter of Robinson's Tacloban... Because she was not busy, I tried 'educating' the sales lady manning that counter. I said 'maybe' their form should say "RELOC" (that means RE cord LOC ator) - it is an airline terminology that is also called "Computer Record", "Booking Record", "Booking Reference", "Booking Number" or many other names. BUT, not "relocation". Trust me, there is no such thing as "Relocation" or "Re-location" Number that any airline uses (or will use) in their booking systems and/or transaction terminologies all over this world. Ano yan, sumakay ka lang ng eroplano, "bakwit" na agad? Me pabahay (housing)? Re-location daw eh! In fact, "Relocation" or "Re-location" is quite a potentially misleading term/phrase for airline people to use, as it 'somehow' invites negative connotation on a pa