hotnothot 11

Hotnot: Natapos na ang 9th SONA ni Gloria. Hindi ko napanood dahil wala naman akong Pinoy Tv. But if I were to believe what the newspapers say, sabi daw ni Gloria, hindi na sya mag-e-extend ng term. As in wala raw syang balak mag-stay pa after matapos ang term nya early next year. Kaso, lahat halos ng nabasa kong comment iisa ang sinasabi, ‘eh bakit walang goodbye’? Which sends his critics and all other political pundits speculating na talagang may plano ang Gloria na hindi bitawan ang puwesto nya. I was one of the thousands of rallyists noon sa Edsa na nagpababa kay Erap at naglagay kay Arroyo. And that is one of the very few mistakes I made in my life. Ngayon, I’m one of the millions who wish that she’d really step down at wag mag ala-Miriam. Baka pagdating ng 2010 sasabihin di ni Gloria ‘I was just joking’!

Hothot: Filipino artists winning gold and all sorts of medals at the WCOPA. Former Sexbomb Evette Pabalan won two golds and one silver, a young boy (Raph something) won gold in his category and Kimverlie Molina who used to be a local celeb here in Jubail also won top honors. It looks like every year this Los Angeles-based event is being ruled by Pinoys since year 1 starting with Jed Madela. Ang hindi ko lang alam kung gaano ka-prestigious itong event na ito. Is it even sanctioned/recognized by major entertainment firms in Holywood? Bakit ang mga winners uuwi din ng Pinas at babagsak lang na pang-sahog sa smorgasbord ng isang Sunday noontime show? Ah well, LA pa rin yong venue kaya kahit anong sabihin, proud pa rin ako sa panalo ng mga kabayan natin.

Hotnot: Remember si kabayan na nakapulot ng milyones sa Hongkong pero dahil mabait na tao eh sinoli si milyones sa may-ari? Her case makes me sad. From what I read, may kaso syang pinaglalaban sa amo nya kaya siya bumagsak sa pamumulot ng basura. Which means nasa kawawang kondisyon si kabayan ng mga oras na yon. But despite the huge burden, inuna pa rin nya ang pagiging God-fearing. Sinoli ang malaking halaga. Ang nakakatawa, binigyan lang sya ng isang latang biscuit ng may-ari (company payroll daw yong pera). Ok, sige lang. Ganon talaga. Do not expect a reward kung may ginawa kang mabuti. That’s not the way to do it. Pero ang pinaka-nakakainis, mismong ang opisyales ng gobyerno natin ang kumawawa sa kanya. Nang umuwi sya ng Pinas, one-way visa lang daw ang binigay kaya hindi na nakabalik si kabayan sa HK para ituloy ang kaso sa amo nya. Naiinis ako sa mga taong ito dahil sila ang nagiging dahilan kung bakit ngayon parang ang hirap gumawa ng kabutihan. Malinis nga ang intentions mo but there are people like them who can make you think twice bago gumawa ng kabutihan.

Hotnot: Barack’s first blooper. Napangiwi ako nong mapanood ko yong interview kay Obama about the arrest of a Black professor who was breaking into his house dahil naiwan ang susi somewhere. Naging malaking issue kasi mga puti yong arresting officers. And I thought Barack, who I once said na mabagal mag-speech sa isang event dahil parang very conscious sa choice of words nya, stumbled this time. With the international press huddled with him in front of the White House, he was commenting on the arrest of the Black professor and said that the police officers ‘acted stupidly’ on the arrest. For a statesman of his stature, nagulat ako na masasabi nya yon on worldwide tv. Bawas pogi points. Now he’s working overtime to repair the damage created by that comment. Hope he’s more careful next time.

Hothot: Flying V showing the giants how to do it. Nagbaba daw ng presyo ng langis ang independent player na ito sa atin. As in significant daw yong ginawang price reduction na kinatuwa ng mga motorista. Yan ang maganda pag may ibang players sa market. At least may ibang option ang mga tao at hindi totally dependent sa Shell, Petron at Caltex – ang tatlong higanteng bampira na walang awa kung sumipsip ng dugo ng mga kawawang consumers. Sasabihin hindi makapag-baba ng price dahil malulugi sila pero tingnan mo ang financial reports, laging bilyones ang profit every quarter. What Flying V did was a slap across the faces of these 3 suckers. At sana, itong mga maliliit na players na lang ang i-patronize ng pinoy consumers. At least may puso sila kahit papano.

Hothot: Ang bumabang presyo ng call sa celphones plus the extended validity ng mga load. Salamat naman at napag-tuunan din ng pansin ng mga magagaling na pulitiko ito. Dahil sa totoo lang, itong mga telecom companies na ito sa atin, talo pa ang mga holdaper sa kalye. At least ang mga holdaper, tututukan ka at may chance kang lumaban. Sa mga telecom companies na ito, wala. As in halos dukutin sa bulsa mo ang pera mo na wala kang kaalam-alam. Mag-load ka at aasahan mong magagamit mo pero dahil sa kasuwapangan ng mga hindurupot, magugulat ka na lang wala na pala yong ni-load mo. Salamat sa mga pulitikong nag-ayos nito. It took a long time pero salamat pa rin dahil nagawan ng aksyon.

moonwalk - not lp, not mj

so it's been 40 years now since mankind took their first steps on the moon. well, actually that's neil armstrong (with buzz aldrin) who did it back in july 20 1969. a little step by one man, a giant leap for the human race.

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when i was little, i can still remember i had this wild dream of becoming an astronaut. in fact, science was my favorite subject when i was still in elementary. i love studying and learning about the planets. i've always been mesmerized with the pictures and amazing things that i read about the universe, the galaxies and the milky way.

of course i've outgrown that dream and instead of walking the sea of tranquility i'm now treading the sands of saudi arabia. nevertheless, let me celebrate this momentous occassion by bringing you back the images millions of people watched in black and white tv back in the late 60's.

who knows, this could probably be the first and last celestial body man would conquer. coz 40 years later on, nothing has happened. so let's marvel at the fact that at least, we've conquered the moon. venus would probably be smiling upon us.

si hatton bay

found this in youtube. nakakatawa... si hatton bisaya na rin!? hahaha... only proves that pinoy humor is boundless!

know thyself

I just had my yearly performance appraisal at work and I thought it’s one good blog material. Pero kahit juicy ang kwento about this performance evaluation at ang ganda sanang i-discuss dito, professional etiquette restrains me from doing so. Kahit ba naman marami akong BMW sa trabaho, I still wouldn’t compromise myself from discussing something that is supposedly ‘sensitive’ info and should remain safely tucked inside the gates of the company I work for. (I gotta give myself a pat on the back for exercising this restraint ha!)

Instead, magpapakalalim ako about that performance review and make it my own. Kasi sa totoo lang, it maybe your performance evaluation at work, as viewed by your boss, pero mas magandang meron ka ring evaluation ng sarili mo. There’s nothing better than an honest self-inrospection. Sabi nga ni lolo Confucius, know thyself.

Sa dati kong trabaho, I’ve had a couple of chances na ako ang nag-evaluate sa sarili ko. Those were the days when my boss was cool and liberal enough to toss me the evaluation paper and say ‘here, rate yourself then we’ll discuss’. Di ba ang saya pag ganon. Bigyan mo ng full marks ang sarili mo, excellent lahat ang rating.
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But not quite.

Dahil sa respeto ko sa very cool kong amo, hindi ko magawang samantalahin yong very tempting opportunity. In fact, naunahan ako ng hiya sa sarili ko. My guardian angel must be poking on my right ear incessantly dahil yong nasa kaliwa eh binubulungan ako na ‘sige, excellent lahat ang ilagay mo… go, go, go’.

Besides, alam ko naman na idi-discuss pa rin naman naming dalawa ng boss ko kung anoman ang gawin ko. Hindi naman nya pipirmahan blindly kung anoman ang isulat ko. He’s just giving me the chance to be introspective. So I had to dig deep into the inner recesses of my conscience (lalim… hahaha) to come up with the most objective self-evaluation I can give myself.

Fortunately, walang violent reaction yong boss ko when I gave him the paper. We discussed a few points and in the end, he changed one evaluation point a grade lower (where I admittedly over estimated mylsef) but gave me higher marks on two areas na medyo in-understimate ko naman yong sarili ko. Ang ending, naging very effective yong appraisal dahil parang lalo akong na-challenge to give him (and the work) my best.

Fast forward to the present, kung ako ulit ang mage-evaluate ng sarili ko, ganito ang kalalabasan:

Knowledge of work: with all honesty, excellent ang ibibigay ko sa sarili ko. It’s because I have a very high level of understanding kung ano ang dapat kong i-deliver to meet the requirements of the job. And it comes from the fact na 6 years na ako sa trabahong ito (not to mention the previous years na dala-dala ko before I joined this company). Pag ganon ka na katagal sa trabaho at hindi mo pa na-grasp ang dapat mong gawin para maging worthy ka sa sinu-sweldo mo, there must be something wrong with yourself.

Communication skills: very good. I often get excellent marks from my boss in this area and that’s because he only sees how i express myself orally. In that aspect, payag ako sa excellent rating. But it’s just half of the whole thing. Pagdating kasi sa written communication, may problema ako. My boss sees only the end product of what I write. At akala nya eh ang galing-galing kong gumawa ng memo/e-mail, work procedures, project proposals, documentation, etc. But the truth is, bago ako makagawa ng isang effective business document, katakot-takot na editing ang ginagawa ko. It’s because I have the penchant for writing in prose. Pang-magazine at pang-blog ang writing style ko and sometimes it’s a struggle to keep my written material strictly business. One time, I wrote a work instruction and used the word ‘albeit’. Tama ba naman yon!
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Interpersonal skills: very good. Excellent din palagi ang binibigay sa akin ng mga boss ko. Maybe because I can express myself well. But the truth is, expressing yourself is not even the question here. It’s about how you interact with other people at work. And I know I really have to improve on this one. A previous boss of mine once said something like ‘dante, the secret to successful meetings is knowing how to adapt to the level of communication the other person is commanding’. Pag nga naman executives ang kausap mo, huwag mong kwentuhan ng finals ng american idol o kung sino ang nag-number one sa FHM. You’ll be seen as a dud. Kung messenger or janitor naman, wag mong i-expect na makikinig sya sa mga nangyari sa G8 meeting o yong tungkol kay Madoff. It’s unfair to the guy. But despite the fact that I have those wise words in my data bank, it’s still a struggle to keep my cool lalo na pag makukulit and/or plain stupid ang kausap ko (marami dito nyan). Madali akong mabuwisit at pag ganon, madalas akong nakakapag-bitaw ng sharp retorts. Kaya alam ko, I still have room to improve on this area. I still have to learn how to smile habang minumura ko ang kausap ko under my breath.
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Punctuality: ah, dito. Bagsak ako. Kung si Jalil (driver ng shuttle service namin) ang mage-evaluate sa akin, sigurado he’ll give me a negative rating. Dahil lagi ko syang pinag-aantay. Lagi kasi akong late sa umaga. At kung hindi lang shuttle bus ang transpo ko to and from work, I would have probably been fired for tardiness. Very good lang ang rating ko ngayon because I have no choice but to keep up with the bus’ timing. But if I were to drive myself to work, siguradong late ako palagi. Sarap kasing matulog pag pa-umaga na!

Flexibility: Fail. Madali rin akong mainis pag inaabala ang isang trabaho ko, lalo at may deadline para lang gawin ang isa pang trabaho just because my boss says so. Though in my previous work (yong sa Makati) I’ve learned a few things tungkol sa flexibility. Dahil nasa consulting work ako noon, I was doing a project in Quezon City one day and do a presentation the next in Makati. Or conduct a training in Taguig saka tatakbo ng Cebu para sa isang convention. It totally burned me out kaya balik ako sa isang mas normal na 8-hour office job. Kaya hindi ako pwedeng artista. Hindi ko kayang mag-drama at one scene then action the next. Hirap non!
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Overall, I have a good grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. I harness those strong points and try to work on the weak ones. Pero sa totoo lang, mahirap mag-improve ng mga weak points na yan. It’s a continuous process. But what’s important is that I know what I can do and what my limitations are. It keeps me grounded and provides the much-needed reality check pag umiinit ang ulo ko sa trabaho. And mind you, madalas mangyari yon!

funny captain

nauna kong nahagilap ang mp3 version nito which i mailed to all my friends right away. then i thought something so funny like this must be on you tube. ayan nga, meron. so i'm sharing it with all of you, DS friends. i've played it several times already pero hindi pa rin mawala ang ngiti ko. hope you get a few laughs out of it as well.

wonder what he was baking? it was 'kak'.... cake is more like it!!! hahaha!!!

the public whoopla

it's almost 11pm and i'm typing this while the michael jackson memorial concert is on it's finale where michael's family and all the performers in that concert were gathered on stage singing one of his most meaningful songs - heal the world.

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tatlong channel ang nagpalabas - MBC4 who pre-empted their regular programs while both Euronews and BBC sent their news programs on the sidelines to give way to the 2 1/2 hours show na ginawa sa staples center in los angeles.

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siguradong milyones ang tumutok sa show all over the world. marami ang napuyat tulad ko para panoorin ang last concert where michael is supposed to be 'present'. pero sa milyones na nanood ng show, i could be one of the very few na parang ewan ang reaksyon.

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i might be too jaded. or too cynic. or cold-hearted. pero wala akong naramdaman while watching that show. kahit ba naman hindi ako fan ni michael eh, sa mga eksenang ganyan na may patay at may iyakan, i easily get moved. but here, hindi ako maka-emote. instead, there were several moments na nairita pa ako.

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si brooke shields, nag-emote muna ng ilang minuto sa stage, parang pinipilit umiyak, shaking her head (model ba sya ng head and shoulders?), pakurap-kurap ang mata (hmmm... nawala sa sentro ang contact lens?) saka nagsalita. hindi tuloy natural ang dating mga mga pinag-sasabi. artista ka nga brooke. but not a very good one coz you failed to move me.

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yong kapatid namang si jermaine, kinanta yong favorite song ni michael. smile (though your heart is aching...). but because he's emotional kuno, hindi maayos ang kanta lalo na pag tumataas ang nota. ang nakakatawa, pag mataas yong note saka sya iiyak kuno! hehehe... it's either he's really weathering the pain o baka naman umaasa syang may makapansin na marunong din syang kumanta at makakuha ng record deal. duh.

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usher was the worst. kunyari nag-breakdown at the end of the song (gone too soon) don sa parteng tipong sobbing into tears din si michael sa original recording. but usher was soooo fake dahil nong umiyak na kuno, saka tinanggal ang sunglass. for what? eh di para ma-focus ng camera yong tears nya! sarap hambalusin ng laptop! ay wag, sayang pala tong laptop ko kahit mumurahin!

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at yong shaheen na finalist ng britain's got talent who's supposedly joining jacko in his london concerts, sinayang ang magandang exposure nya. mataas nga ang boses pero wala akong naintindihan. baka sa taas ng boses nya na-tone deaf ako o nilamon yong boses nya ng malakas na banda.

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at hindi ko rin makalimutan yong black congresswoman who ranted on an on about how great michael was, binuhay pa ang mga closets na matagal ng nakatago by saying something like 'in the rule of law, one is innocent until proven otherwise' obviously referring to the sexual abuse cases filed against michael. to the last minute ba naman babanggitin pa ba yon. parang killing the moment naman si manang.

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at syempre, lahat ng magsalita will have only good words for the dead. puro superlatives. lahat na yata ng praises ibubunton don sa tao. tipong inipon ang mga magagandang adjectives nong buhay pa si jacko saka biglang nilabas sa mga baul, may interes pang kasama.

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but all of these fiascos pale in comparison to the biggest hoax of the whole show. it's michael's supposed 'presence'. o di ba kanina ko pa kinu-quote-unquote yang presence na yan. bakit kamo? dinala kuno ang casket sa loob ng staples center but it was never opened, with wreaths of flowers neatly placed on top. so ano ang binigyan ng tribute, an empty coffin? nasa loob ba si michael o wala? aba ewan, baka ayaw sumama sa staples!

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kaya pala hindi um-attend ang dalawang closest friends nya. diana ross was nowhere to be seen and so is elizabeth taylor who even said ayaw daw nyang maging part ng public whoopla. oo nga naman. obviously she knew what's gonna happen in the show. it was just that - a show.

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kawawa naman ang mga nagpakamatay para makapasok sa staples and even those who went to see kahit yong bubong ng staples. well, magdasal na lang kayo and hope michael will find peace kahit pa ginagawa pa ring show ang last few minutes nya dito sa mundo.

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new banner

well isn't my new banner cool? haha! i know it's a bit kindergarten with the pastel color and cartoon artwork which doesn't really reflect the sometimes hard-hitting articles i'm posting here. but the three rainbows got me - heck, saan ka nakakita ng lugar na may 3 rainbows? haha!

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i just wanted to do away with the old banner. not because i got tired of it after almost a year and a half. besides, it's got some senti value kasi gawa yon ng isang friend (dennis q, thanks ulit). but i guess it's time for something new.

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at kung medyo gloomy yong dating banner natin, this one is sure to make you feel like a child again. coz what we need is something relaxing lalo na pag humirit na naman ako ng mga hothot at hotnot natin.

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so there, you go. enjoy the pleasant vibes the banner brings. and try to see the world through the eyes of a kid again. we all need to do that once in a while. lalo na sa tulad kong laging maraming tumatakbo sa utak. not just a rainbow of thoughts - tatlong rainbows pa minsan!

the best of 'em all

it's official: roger federer is the greatest tennis player at the moment with 15 grandslam titles neatly tucked under his belt. this after he won his sixth wimbledon crown in an epic battle with andy roddick. the 4hour 16minutes play and 5-7, 7-6(8-6), 7-7(7-5), 3-6 and 16-14 score was dizzying. i bet both players were drained down to the last drop of their body fluids they'd need some serious redhydration after the game.

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i caught the last few minutes of the action when they were battling out the tie breaker of the 5th set. and even if andy is also a favorite, i was really praying that roger win it. coz to andy, it'd be just another win. a lot of trophies are still waiting for him. but for roger, it's not just for the win, but most importantly for the books.

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and when the unassuming swiss finally hit the matchpoint, i cheered with delight knowing that one of the most respectable and talented players got what he finally deserved.

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sampras, my favorite and the greatest of recent past, was in the gallery to watch the momentous occassion. i'm sure he felt a bit disappointed when finally his record of 14 titles was overshadowed by roger's win. but knowing how genuinely nice pete is, i'm sure he's also happy to see roger achieve such huge honor.

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congrats roger. cheers from me and the rest of dantespeaks gang.
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(as if naligaw naman at nag-basa si roger ng blog ko! hahaha!.)

no. 14 : spendthrift

The other day, may nakasabay akong dalawang kakilala sa bilihan ng isda. What caught my attention was the fact na naghati pa sila sa 10SR na bayaran for 1kg of fish. Samantalang ako na nag-iisa eh 3kg ang binili. ‘Ipi-freezer ko’ sabi ko dahil tiningnan ako na parang gusto akong tanungin kung bakit para akong nag-panic-buying.

A few days before, may dalawang kakilala rin akong narinig na nagdi-diskusyon sa pambili ng tubig (mineral water). And they’re talking of what, 4 or 5SR?. Parang gusto ko na silang bigyan ng 5SR para lang matapos na ang diskusyon. Pero napahiya ako sa sarili ko.

Naisip ko kasi, siguro sa akin no big deal ang ganon dahil natural akong gastador. Pero sa kanila, they seem to understand the value of money. Obviously, better than I do. And that’s something I know I have to work on.

One of the weaknesses kasi that I have is handling money. When it comes to managing my finances, lalo na ang pagtitipid, I’m still one big work in progress.

Ako kasi yong taong may problema sa interpretasyon sa pera. Para sa akin, money is just one piece of overly decorated paper pag nasa wallet ko lang sya. It only comes to life, glowing with so much power pag iaabot ko na sya sa shopkeeper in exchange for whatever I’m paying for. That’s why I have this propensity towards buying. Whether it’s something that I really need or something that I simply want.

Kaya siguro hindi ako pinanganak na mayaman. Coz if I were, lalo sigurong wala akong respect sa pera. Eh ngayon nga na pinaghihirapan ko syang kitain, ganon na lang ako makagastos. How much more kung basta ko na lang minana from rich parents. Everytime siguro na papasok ako ng isang mall eh para akong huramentadong kaliwa’t kanan ang lipad ng cash at credit cards.

Coz I love money the way most of the rich and famous do. Dahil marami silang pera, they enjoy the finer things in life. And I want to live La Dolce Vita too. Have a nice house, a flashy car (a fleet wouldn’t be bad), leisure trips to the Carribean and the Swiss Alps, designer clothes, and probably a 150-ft yacht. Eh kaso hindi kaya ng kakarampot kong sweldo. Kaya ding! ding! Reality check muna.

I know I have to enjoy the fruits of my labor but I know I have to save for the rainy days as well. And start a retirement fund kahit matagal pa naman yon. That’s why I’m trying to find ways on how to control my urge na gumastos. Kaya madalas hindi na rin ako naglalalabas ng bahay. Hindi kasi uso sa akin eversince ang window shopping. Wala man akong balak bilhin pag lumalabas ako, pag-uwi ko ng bahay siguradong may bitbit ako. Again, be it something that I need or simply want.

Kaya pinag-aaralan ko na talagang mag-tipid. And the very first monster that I have to deal with is my taste. I have to tone it down. Hirap kasi ng pasosyal wala namang karapatan. Kaya bawas muna sa mga expensive perfumes. May nadala naman akong ilang bote ng Afficionado nong bumalik ako from vacation, okey na yon. Tigil na muna ng pagpapalit ng laptop pag may nagustuhan. At wala na munang expensive dinners sa classy restaurants. Kaya tinuturuan ko na ang sarili kong kumain sa Al-Bahar kahit pa sabihin ni Raoul na hampas-lupa ako. Hindi pwedeng puro Applebees at Sizzler. Si Ega lang ang nakakagawa non.

Mahirap ang buhay. Wala nang OT. At ang recession baka hindi pa matapos this year. So I have to tighten my belt once in a while. Kung kelan pa naman naging 32 tong bewang na to. Hmmpttt!

lowe beton

my friend cesar forwarded this to me via mail, looks like a grab from giselle's blog. though i didn't have the time to look for her site, i'm sharing this one with you. katuwa. tawa ako ng tawa while reading. i just hope that the ofw part is true.

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Ang Pekeng LV (Louis Vuitton) ni Giselle Sanchez
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Fourteen years ago, I was also in the same place, but I was not smiling like this. The Spanish Steps is a very popular place, especially to tourists and Europe ’s Rich and Famous, because this is where all the designer shops are located. Fourteen years ago, I was also invited to hold a comedy concert for the Filipinos in Rome through a group of Batangeño producers.

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Pagkatapos ng concert ko, sumama ang sosyalita kong kaibigan na si Cutie del Mar sa akin para mag-bakpak at libutin ang buong Italya. Palibhasa, hindi ako sanay na isang bakpak lang ang dadalhin ko para sa isang linggong paglilibot. ‘Di ko yata kayang magsuot ng parehong Tshirt sa loob ng tatlong araw. YUCK! Ang baho na nun ng over! Kaya dinala ko ang isang Louis Vuitton na hand carry. Pero, ito ay isang Louis Vuitton na peke, japeyks, class triple-A, galing Greenhills.

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Alam ko na mali ang bumili at gumamit ng peke pero sana maintindihan ninyo ako. Fourteen years ago, nag-uumpisa pa lang ang career ko. Kapiranggot lang ang kinikita ko at nagandahan lang ako dun sa maleta kaya binili ko. Wala pa akong malay sa brands noon. Kaya ganito na lang ang pagkukutya ng kaibigan ko sa akin.

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Cutie: Oh my god! Is that a fake… I see!

Giselle: Sorry, hindi ako anak ng Congressman tulad mo!

Cutie: Giselle, ano ka ba! Giselle Sanchez ka na! You can’t be seen with a fake! You already perform for the rich and famous not only in the Philipp ine s but all over the world! When In Rome , do as the Romans do! Halika, punta tayo sa Louis Vuitton diyan sa Spanish Steps and buy yourself an original!

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Ang bilis lumakad ng sosyalera, wala ako choice kundi sumunod kahit wala akong planong bumili. Plano ko lang tumingin at bilhin yung usong model sa Greenhills uli. O.A. kaya ang presyo ng Louis Vuitton bags. The cheapest, smallest bag will cost you P25, 000. Regular bags range from P35, 000-90, 0000. And the big and real nice ones cost P125, 000-P180, 000. Sa pinakamurang bag, mapapakain ko na ang pamilya ko nang limang linggo. At sa pinakamahal na bag ay mapapa-aral ko na ang kapatid ko ng college! Ako pa naman ang breadwinner ng pamilya.. Why would I waste my money with such over priced bags?

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Eto na, pumasok na kami sa napakarangyang Louis Vuitton Shop. Siyempre, hindi ko naman maiwan yung peke kong maleta sa labas, so sama si japeyks sa loob. At pagkakita ng mahaderang manager sa bag ko, bigla akong nilapitan, inikutan at tinignan mula ulo hanggang paa.

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LV manager: Excuse me, but what is your Nationality? Giselle: I’m Fil…(hindi pa nga tapos)

LV manager: (whispering but loud enough for me and Cutie to hear) I knew it! You Filipina maids come in here to copy our designs. Get out of my store!

Giselle: Excuse me! I am not a maid! I am an actress and I came here in Italy to perform for these “maids” you were referring to. And don’t you ever call them that! They are called Overseas Filipino Workers. Do not look down on our OFWs because they have dignity in labor. Do you work on commission, what’s your most expensive here?

LV Manager: (Points to this type of a cabinet where the bags are displayed). This one! It cost ___ million lira. (Nakalimutan ko na yung value, basta million-million kasi lira yung currency. Basta halaga ng tatlong buhay ko.)

Giselle: Ganun! What’s your second most expensive?

LV Manager: (Points to a luggage na kapalit ang dalawang buhay ko)

Giselle: Forget it! You! (pointing to a cute salesman in the counter) I will not buy from you, Mr. Manager. I will buy from him so he can take the commission! I’ll buy this, that, this, that, and this! It’s too bad I’m not an overseas Filipino worker because they can buy more than what I can!

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So what is the price of dignity? P500, 000.00—maxed on my credit card; paid slowly for three years; with my mom screaming on my ears every now and then.

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In fairness to these overpriced bags, they are very durable. I started using them fourteen years ago and I still use them up to now! People think I’m so classy using coordinated Louis Vuitton handbags, make-up kit, and shoe bags. Little do they know that Giselle became classy because of her being crassy. Moral of the story, kung di niyo kaya, huwag mang gaya at baka mapahiya. I never realized that paying for your sins can be quite expensive! Di bale, basta mapagtanggol ang dangal ng minamahal kong Overseas Filipino Workers! Mabuhay kayo…kahit mamatay na ako sa utang!

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