all in a day's work

So what exactly am I doing in Thailand? Organizing words, phrases, and then some to make Thai English a bit more understandable.

Thai Writer:

For those who have read “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, the no.1 bestseller from the New York Times and “the-state of the art” of Self-Development book writtten by Dr. Stephen R. Covey. 15 years of proven success from the univeral principles and concepts has been widely accepted and used for both personal and professional lifes.

A bit of tweaking here and there and voila!

Thousands, if not millions of lives have been transformed by Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, ranked by the New York Times’ as the #1 bestseller. For 15 years, countless individuals have found success from the universally-accepted principles and concepts that Dr. Covey presents to inspire us to effectiveness in both our personal and professional lives.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

a night with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

I have always loved classical music, moreso watching a live performance - so when we heard that the PPO was coming to town, I knew it was too good to resist.

Surprisingly, the organizers were able to fill the National Theater (considering that it is the season for the Bangkok International Dance & Music Festival) and have a royal audience too. I had high expectations since the PPO once held high distinction as a world-class orchestra. After watching a Russian orchestra, and other european acts during past ballets and concerts, then I would be in for a treat.

The first piece they played was Trinity, A Symphonic Cycle by Angel M.Pena. Though quite eclectic, this showcased the fullness and texture of the orchestra. Adagio for Strings, from op. 11 by Samuel Barber was up next and as the title says, the strings were the stars of this piece. It was great to see the bows go up and down in unison, and to hear the depth of the violin, viola, and cello combined in one measure. The last piece, Symphony No. 4 in E minor by Johannes Brahms, was not much of a climax, nor was it powerful enough to end the show. The show's saving grace: an encore of a jazzed-up version of Dahil Sa'yo.

Sadly, the concert was not as grand as its premise. Under the baton of Maestro Eugene Castillo, the members of the orchestra lacked emotion, energy and stage presence (except for the conductor himself)... my piano teacher once said that when you perform, you have to feel the piece you're playing so that the audience feels it with you. The pieces that they played seemed
fitting for a chamber performance, rather than a concert... which is probably why at the end of the evening, the performance seemed to be a bit flat (no pun intended!). It's sad that so much potential talent can still be utilized within the orchestra. I'm sure that all the members are passionate about what they do - all it takes is to find inspiration and motivation.

Interesting enough, I found this piece on the PPO:

"We need to keep up with the other professional orchestras of the world," says Fredeline Parin, principal trumpet of the ppo who plays a King trumpet that is more than 20 years old. dditional instruments are needed too, Parin explains, citing one concert early this year when a cornet was required for Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. Because the orchestra didn’t have a cornet, Parin stuffed a felt cloth in his trumpet to approximate the sound. "It almost killed me. Imagine blowing into a bottle…."

The son of a trumpeteer who is one of the ppo originals, Parin says that the new generation of trumpets provide for easy blowing and quick response. A principal trumpet should have about seven trumpets of different keys, an assistant principal should have a minimum of five while the third and fourth trumpets should have at least four. Each trumpet can cost up to US$2,500.

"It’s very important to have a very good trumpet sound," Parin insists. "Trumpets are the soprano of the orchestra and have the most penetrating sound."

A few chairs away sits Alejandro Fernandez, acting assistant principal trombone. "Ito na ang pinakamalaking pupuntahan ng isang musican," Fernandez says about being part of the ppo. He started playing trombone as a gradeschooler in Nueva Ecija, in the marching band of his hometown of San Leonardo. He would be a good trombone player, his teachers said, because he was tall for his age.

To buy him a trombone, Fernandez’ father sold some land. That same trombone, a Conn, is still with him, literally green in some parts because of age. Reflectorized tape is what Fernandez uses to cover up those patches of green. For the ppo, Fernandez plays a Yamaha. It’s a bit outdated, he admits, but it still plays well. "Ten years ago modelo pa yan," he reveals, adding that
today, it is no longer even listed in the catalog.

Vicente Galang, principal horn, plays an American-made Holton french horn which still has a wonderful sound, but it obviously has seen better days. Galang has had to improvise with plumber’s teflon tape to seal off air leaks in the bore of the instrument. He’s also found a nifty substitute for the parts he needs to make the pistons of the horn’s keys bounce. "Pumupunta ako sa automotive supply at bumibili ng brake repair kit. There’s a part there used for the brakes and I just cut it down to size."

The most desperate case for new instruments, says Lozada, is the tuba that Benedicto de la Peret Jr. plays. It is battle-scarred, heavily dented and minus its gold lustre in many places. De la Peret goes all the way to Bulacan to have his tuba repaired. One of its pistons won’t bounce and the valves are out of alignment, and it takes great effort, says dela Peret, just to play this tuba. "Nakakapagod!" he exclaims.


Ugh, even our national orchestra is suffering from poverty. I do hope that they raise enough funds to buy new instruments, and hopefully regain the glory they once enjoyed.

lessons from a rural school

A trip to a rural school in Chachoengsao, 2 hours away from Bangkok, taught me:

1. Boys in primary and secondary school have a prescribed haircut, much like ROTC rules in the Philippines.
2. Students and teachers MUST leave their shoes/slippers at the entrance steps. (It is a norm here to leave one's shoes at the entrance of a house or temple as a sign of respect towards the owners, and the Thais carry that tradition even at work. GASP!)
3. 5-year olds eat more chili with their noodles than I do.
4. A teaspoon of sticky rice or peanuts topped with a dallop of coconut ice cream is really yummy!
5. Squat toilets are standard.

Flowers, incense sticks, and chants.
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Leave your slippers.
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This Wat in Chachoengsao has less glitter and ornaments than the rest I've seen. It's being renovated so the praying/offering area has been moved to a nearby spot.
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If pinoys offer candles, the Thais offer flowers and incense to their buddhas.
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Alalay

I regularly read Michael Tan's column and I love how he fuses history with current obsevations of the modern-day Filipino. Today he talks about the alalay system of pinoys and true enough, we've all had our own alalay anecdotes.

Hospital administrators, too, complain about the endless “alalay” patients get, a plague that starts as early as the time when the patient is being admitted, accompanied by any number ranging from five to a dozen people storming the emergency room, each one volunteering his or her version of the patient's illness or accident, while getting in the way of doctors, nurses and other patients.

Once admitted, the bevy of relatives and friends accompanies the patient to the room or ward, each one offering to be a “bantay,” literally a watcher, who will stay overnight. Most hospitals claim to limit the number of “bantay” to one per patient, but have no choice but to pretend they don't see the extra ones who insist on staying. I've actually seen some of them climbing into the patient's bed, or under the bed, to spend the night.

My dad is a stroke patient, and we've had quite a number of emergency room stories. Admittedly, my mom, my sister and I, would watch over my dad in the ER while waiting for a room. In these 2am trips to the ER we would see big families (with kids and apos to boot) watch over their patient, screaming for a nurse or a doctor every once in a while too.

When my dad would be admitted to a private room at the almost-ungodly time of 4am, we'd be dead tired to go home to the south so we'd sleep in akward places -- my mom in the bantay chair, my sister in the cot for visitors, and me beside my dad in the hospital bed. Well it wasn't not the most comfortable place on earth, but we'd rather squeeze ourselves into the confines of a small room and be there when dad would wake up and need an assistant for whatever he needs.

Apparently, other people in hospitals have a barrage of bantays that disturb other patients. If your next-door neighbor notices you, then it may be getting too cramped already, moreso in the semi-private wards. After all, it is a hospital and not an in-patient mixer. I just hope those kinds of people understand that some patients have difficulty sleeping, and it can get pretty uncomfy for other people in the floor too since most bantays do get tired after a whole night of staying with their patient.

Hay, ang pinoy nga naman.

a chocoholic's dream

We had brunch at the Oriental last Sunday and their dessert buffet was so sinful! I couldn't resist - I had temporary selective diet amnesia so I tried their dark chocolate mousse and absolutely had to try the chocolate fountain. The chocolate mousse was perfectly bittersweet and addicting - a rarity here in Bangkok. The chocolate fountain, on the other hand, proved to be better appreciated from a distance because *sigh* the Thais being Thais, they had to ruin the whole experience by pairing off chocolate with watermelon, pineapple, and melon.

What is it with these nutty people - we've tried the chocolate founde at Cafe Swiss and they combined the same fruits, even worse because Cafe Swiss had papaya! The only good thing about the chocolate fountain was the chocolate itself. Hmph! Someone please tell these restos that marshmallows, bananas, and apples will work just fine!

*Cross-posted over at the other blog.

a pub brunch

For the best high cholesterol breakfast in Bangkok, try the Dubliner Irish Pub beside Emporium. We had their breakfast special (free orange juice or coffee til 12) -- The Fry. True to form, everything on it was fried -- except the baked beans. The Fry comes in 2 forms: the regular-sized one priced at B350, and a slightly smaller version called Mini Fry priced at B200. Although everything was fried, we didn't get that nauseous-dizzy feeling right after you eat bulalo.

Ironically, it was a relatively quiet place, save for the strong cigarette smell that is a sure indication of activity during evenings. Most importantly, the servers could understand and speak English -- no pictionary and charade skills were required of us.

filipino english

'English-only zones' set in Manila - INQ7.net

Starting this month, PLM's 10,000 students would have to speak in English in designated "English Zones" and at given English-speaking hours.

So-called "Free Zones," where students may speak in any language they wish, have also been designated.

"We would like to create an environment where if you speak in Filipino in English Zones, you will not get an answer," PLM president Benjamin Tayabas told the Inquirer.


English-only zones? Sure, Filipinos are way better than Thais or Singaporeans when it comes to the English language... but to put students in a structure where you won't get any answer if you say something in Filipino? Talk about going overboard.

I was once interviewed by an Indian Creative Director here in Thailand, and she was a bit puzzled. She found it a bit strange that my portfolio contained stuff that was 90% English, with only a few minor stuff written in Filipino.

I realized then that unlike Thais who sometimes stubbornly shun learning English, Filipinos would rather wholeheartedly embrace anything American. Sadly, a lot of us are more well-versed in a foreign language we bravely call our second language, but are poor in our own native tongue. I guess it has its advantages and disadvantages -- more call centers that generate jobs, less Filipino literature/culture afficionados.

Forced English is yet another thing to contend with. Thanks to the SMS/text skills of pinoys, a lot of friends write to me in truncated English that takes a bit of practice to decipher. It is really annoying when people do that -- didn't our teachers always say that since the medium (i.e. e-mail) is print, you have freedom of space to use the right spelling, punctuation marks, and grammar? When someone writes or texts "lunch muna me" -- is it really that hard to just say "lunch muna ako" (the difference being 1 letter/character)?

Then again, maybe I'm just old-fashioned, or I just haven't caught up with colloquial and current conversation styles. Ugh what a horror -- someone shoot me if I start writing dito na me in Manila.

Ok back to the English Zones bit... if restrictions such as that provide conservative English grammar, syntax, and all that comes with it... then it might be good. BUT if it continues to produce people who say "I don't friend you", then we might as well forget it.

Just the other day I was blog-hopping and found the blog of a Beauty Editor from a famous youth-oriented magazine. To my horror, she didn't even know the correct use of their and they're. To think she's supposed so be a rank higher than a contributing writer?

I do not claim to be a guru, nor do I look down at people who label themselves as writers. I just feel that if you do have the title of Writer, Editor, or What-Have-You, then you absolutely HAVE to be better than the rest of us schmucks who think we have the right to print space.

All you need is Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style".