Excuse Me?

Sometimes, it is so tempting to be a full-fledged anarchist.

Yesterday, I visited the BIR Regional Office in Davao to get my TIN card. This was again a necessary step in completing my pre-employment requirements since I needed another valid ID other than my passport.

When I inquired the (slightly annoyed) man at the front desk about what to do, he said to me that my TIN was registered in Taguig/Pateros by my previous company. So I had to fill up BIR Form 1905 to change the RDO to that of Davao City's. I was also asked to fax it to the office in Taguig City (Curiously, the BIR Davao Office doesn't offer any fax services).

After completing the form, I again asked the front desk what I should do next. And his answer just blew me away.

He told me that I should go back to Taguig/Pateros and verify my TIN "in person" in the Taguig office before I can apply for a TIN card. After he said that, I stared at him for several seconds but he didn't give me any other option.

I was flabbergasted and furious. The man was telling me to spend thousands of pesos for a plane trip to Manila just to get a stupid card.I immediately walked out of the office before I had the chance to do something I would later regret.

Later, Papa comforted me by saying that I wasn't alone. He also had the same problems with the BIR. Most of the time, people in that government institution can be very rude, arrogant, or very un-accommodating because they know they are needed. In other words, good customer relations isn't really important in the job when you know people will still come to you no matter how bad you treat them.

Papa told me to go to SSS instead to apply for an ID card (something that I should've done a long time ago) and, lo and behold, the staff in SSS were more humane in their treatment. Papa explained to me then that the SSS had more reasons to take care of their customers since the company was reliant on people paying their premiums regularly and on time. I just wish BIR also had more reasons to take care of its taxpayers.

Still, my problem hasn't been solved. My SSS ID won't be mailed to me until after 4-6 months. I still need a valid ID by next week. Gosh.

Medical

I don't like medical examinations. There's a certain amount of grossness associated with this bizarre initiation into the professional world, a grossness which leaves me squeamish and uncomfortable.

Take for instance urinalysis and fecalysis, where one is supposed to present his waste material as love offerings to the lab technicians. I don't know about you but nobody has ever explained to me the significance of those tests, which is a drag because, then, I have to do my own research in the internet.

The urinalysis is, you guess it, a test to analyze the content of your urine. This is to provide a general overview of one's health by measuring the amounts of certain substances present in your urine. Abnormal quantities can often be symptoms of certain diseases such as diabetes etc.

Fecalysis is another test to measure the condition of one's digestive tract in general. Again, abnormal quantities such as excess sugar, or the presence of blood, mucus, parasites can point to certain anomalies. I do humbly suggest however that hospitals also include the provision of antihelminthic drugs because, well, it follows (once the test picks up certain worms in your gut, you're bound to buy medicines for that, right?).

Actually, the only thing I hate about these tests is the part where I have to collect samples. That makes me go "Ewww!" but the self-humiliation doesn't stop there. I've done each test twice already (last year and this year) and every time I give my samples to the lab, there is always a pretty nurse waiting to receive them. And she is armed with two questions that can make any self-respecting gentleman lower his head in embarrassment: the questions "Ihi nimo ni?" and "Tae nimo ni?" (which is the Bisaya version of the more crude expression, "Is this your shit?").

However, don't get me wrong.I do understand the rationale behind this ceremony of tests, which is to screen potential employees from any underlying health problems. But understanding the reasons why doesn't often lead to greater acceptance (just like understanding death more doesn't mean one would accept it eventually). In any case, as long as companies trust the results and the effectivity of these tests, I guess there's no stopping the medicals: the drug test, the urine test, the chest x-ray, the stool test, the dental, the optical etc...

Ewww...

Confrontation 2

Okay, I haven't exactly done what I promised I'd do in the past. For those who've read my previous blog post about my encounter with the Kaingin Queen, I said then that I would come up with a solution, sit down with the president of the homeowners, and basically woo everyone to become nature-loving advocates allergic to open burning.

It turned out executing the plan wasn't so simple after all. I couldn't get an audience with Attorney Ceniza for the insane reason that I can't chance upon him at his house. He would either be off on a business trip or is busy exploring other dimensions. Needless to say, I won't count on him to help my cause.

The weather is also not an ally in my case. Since the incident, we've had intermittent rains culminating with the heavy downpour brought by Ondoy. Openly voicing out against open burning isn't such a good idea when, for most of the week, the ground is wet and people are reluctant to start fires. Timing is everything, as the cliche goes, and now is definitely not the right time for my message, especially with the news overflowing with flood stories.

So what's the plan now?

Well, I am a very patient and determined person. I'll lay low for a couple of months while I wait for summer. Then I make my move.

Indeed, summer is a very special time. My assumption is that more people are inclined to burn off excess foliage in their yards because the weather features less rainfall. Less rainfall means more brittle vegetation and drier soil. These conditions are ripe for open burning.

By then, I can launch my own information campaign on the perils of open burning by secretly placing fliers on the gates of my unsuspecting neighbors preferably at the dead of night. That will be the first 2010 activity of the one-man organization I shall call "Manang, Undangi Na!: A Citizen's Movement Against Open Burning".

Till next summer then! Now, to get some quotes on risograph printing...

Alcohol

If you look at my photos in Facebook, you'll see a picture of a bottle of beer. Pansit, a former colleague, tagged almost all the residents, and guests, of the Casibang compound in that picture.

Since I'm not a hypocrite, I don't mind being tagged since the picture is meant (if I read Kuya Pansit's intention correctly) to symbolize the inuman sessions and the bonds created in that special place.

With that opening, I think it's time I share my views regarding alcohol. I maybe one of only few people who don't like drinking alcoholic beverages. However, I do drink if the situation warrants it. Thus, I hope people respect the fact that when I do drink with them, I do so because they're special, special enough for me to temporarily forget my aversion to alcohol.

If I remember right, my parents were not exactly close friends of Lucio Tan. They bought only red wine and that was only served during special occasions like Christmas, the Lord's Day, and what not. In recent history, we've had small gatherings at home but alcohol was never served. It could probably be that Papa was banning alcohol from the house - and away from us - or he didn't want to spend money making other people tipsy.

In effect, as far as I know, none of my siblings deliberately seek alcohol when the opportunity finds itself. Also, thanks to our parents' subtle screening, all of us were spared of watching people get down and drunk during our childhood years. Now that I'm older, I can see the value of what they've done and perhaps guess at the motive driving that behavior. A former colleague of mine, Lugay, once shared to the us that she avoided drinking or smoking in front of her siblings because that was a bad example to them. I believe my parents also shared her point of view. I don't want to let my siblings see me drink for the same reason too.

While in Manila, there was this one incident that particularly unnerved me. I asked Palang, another former colleague and a friend, what was in the inuman sessions that was quite appealing. She replied by saying that the main attraction was when people were already drunk and were more open to doing crazy stuff. That was when the fun really starts. As for me, I didn't like the idea of getting drunk just so my friends could see me humiliate myself (luckily, I haven't done anything yet that is juicy enough to be passed down to the next generation).

To cap this post, I advise again my fellow brethren to always drink with caution and moderation or, at most, avoid the alcohol as much as possible. It pains me to see kids younger than my age who revel in the act, knowing full well that they'll suffer the consequences later on. That's no way to live a life. Indeed, it is written that the great JC was a social drinker. But it is never written that he got drunk.

Pokemon, Digimon, And Those Other "Mon-mons"

When I was young, I loved Pokemon. Like any other kid, I loved the cartoons and I loved the characters and I loved the almost perfect world that they inhabited. You could say that I too was engrossed at this Japanese creation, to the point that I almost memorized all the names of those cute creatures (were it not for the fact that the creators kept inventing new ones).

I also liked the other cheap derivatives of the Pokemon phenomenon that followed soon after. For instance, I liked Digimon. I especially liked the parts of the show when the Digimon creatures would transform into badder and more powerful versions of themselves. That was fun to watch.

But, like any other kid, my fascination over this genre faded with time. And now that I'm older and supposedly wiser, I think it's about time I take a more critical look at my childhood obsession.

First, the plot itself revolves around the theme of friendship. The owner and his creature-pets are friends. There are some episodes in Pokemon which clearly espouse the importance of taking care of each other on the basis of friendship (I will not dwell on those anymore). Indeed, there are many scenes where the owner and his or her beloved creatures are happy and are wearing smiles.

However, this seemingly nice anime espousing friendship contradicts its message on the face of its most recognizable plot device: the battle between the monsters.

In real life, I don't go around looking for fights. And I don't goad my friends into hurting themselves by fighting battles for me. Friends are there to support me and, if they want, protect me. But coercing them to fight and risk their lives is not what a friend does to his friends.

But this is what those stories of "Mon-mons" are all about: the owners pit their so-called pet-creature "friends" against other pet-creatures. Such blatantly "not-friend" behavior is tolerated in the Pokemon world but it is exactly what you see in dogfights, horse fights, and cockfights which are illegal in most places. One easily sees the similarities between a pet-creature owner and a real-life animal owner who takes care of his prized possessions.

There is also the case of an unfair hierarchy that governs the conduct of both owner and pet-creature. In these "Mon-mon" worlds, we see that the creatures themselves are very powerful, to a point that they can exist even without their human counterparts. But they readily subject themselves to the misguided intentions of their hapless owners who, in turn, abuse the potential powers of their pet-creatures in egoistic duels. It is difficult to swallow that the ones perceived to be vulnerable and unnecessary are the ones lording over the fitter monsters, a realization which criticizes the existence of friendship in an arrangement where one party is deemed superior to the other.

Truth be told, the genre of Pokemon does have its fair share of questions when it comes to moral judgment. For instance, if all these creatures have body parts which can be used as weapons, does it follow that they can only find their purpose by fighting other creatures? Or do they have a higher purpose which their owners do not want them to discover? And so on and so forth.

As a final word, perhaps, if another anime of this genre shows itself in the future, I will be very, very wary. I may not know what the effects of this show are on children but I will tell them to watch this kind of anime with caution and with a real-life pet beside them.

For more (belated) Pokemon bashing, here you go.

For Want Of A Diploma

I now remember why I did not get my diploma over a year ago.

I stopped by the Registrar's office last Friday to finally get one. And no, I wasn't struck by a sudden case of nostalgia; the diploma was simply one of the requirements for my new job.

At first, I was in high spirits. I was visiting Ateneo de Davao after all, my alma mater. I greeted Sir Bong cheerfully (to digress, Sir Bong is an ex-seminarian of the Alexian Brothers) and asked how I could get my diploma.

But my happy face disappeared a few minutes later. When Sir Bong returned to me after retrieving my files, he handed to me a "Diploma Clearance" form which I had to complete. Completing it entailed gathering the signatures of the Dean, the Division Head, the Librarian, and the Cashier. I protested, saying that I already completed a similar form before my graduation. Sir Bong promptly showed me my accomplished "Graduation Clearance", a strikingly similar form which had all the signatures of all the signatories indicated in the Diploma Clearance Form. After that moment, memories of college life - running around the campus, waiting in line, wasting countless hours and energy just to get several stupid signatures - rushed to my head. I promptly crumpled the form when no one was looking and threw it in the trash bin.

Even now, I honestly don't know what got into me that afternoon. Maybe, I was just so pissed off, knowing that I had to endure for one more time an unpleasant facet of my college life. Or maybe, I just got frustrated at what I perceived to be another inefficient redundancy in the process. For instance, the Graduation Clearance form was meant to clear students for graduation and the Diploma Clearance form was there to make sure students didn't have any pending dues with the school. These two purposes can in fact be accomplished with just one form, such that any student who wishes to graduate must also show that he has no pending dues or debts with the school.

Unless someone explains to me with perfect clarity and flawless logic the need for two separate forms, I will have to stick with my "One Form" idea.

But what upsets me the most is that such an obvious (and inconvenient) flaw in the process is even present in an institution which prides itself for its tradition in excellence. I had the same problem last year; I didn't get my diploma because I had to go after all those signatories. Now, a year later, I still had to do the same thing!

What should I do now? There is no escaping the current status quo: I still need my diploma. So now I'm thinking of hiring my brother to do the getting-my-diploma job for me. Outsourcing stress is already a booming industry, anyway; I might as well enjoy its benefits.

Two Things

Just two things.

First, don't go to Robinsons Cybergate Davao to have lunch if you don't have money in your wallet. That's because they don't have ATM machines in the vicinity. If you're wondering why, then I don't have the answer. Probably, the lack of ATM machines is an essential factor in an ongoing social experiment to test for solutions on how to curb consumerist tendencies.

Second, be wary of the security guards of SSS, especially if you are carrying a bag that needs to be checked. I know they are nice people. But I had the bad luck of noticing one guard insert his rod (you know, the one they use to check the contents of your bag) inside his pants. Near the groin. And he was pushing it in and out as if he was scratching his balls. You get the picture.

Boors

One afternoon, while I was on my way home, a group boarded the jeep I was riding on. Two women with two kids and several bags were inching their way through. They also had a gay companion who was behind them.

Apparently, the group just had a rough day. When one of the kids just stood there in the middle, looking for a lap to sit on, the gay companion burst out, "Tangaa aning bataa uy!"

With that remark, the rest of the passengers' eyes were upon them. As for me, I was speechless but I'm pretty sure I had my eyebrow raised at them. But the group didn't mind at all. Maybe, it was normal in their own little world to speak to children that way.

For the rest of the trip, the women cursed and sweared out loud about a certain person who didn't have money. When the jeep stopped in front of a red light at the Matina Crossing, one woman asked if they could now get out of the jeep. Her woman companion quickly replied, "Tanga ka? Bawal mubaba diri!", with a voice straight from a boom box.

Finally, they all alighted from the jeep somewhere along the Matina Aplaya road but the gay companion was still breathing hard on the kids (Gawas na, punyeta!).

Clearly, three people skipped classes when good manners were being taught. Or maybe, some parents had done a wonderful job in the past teaching their kids the right cuss-words for the right situation.

But I guess the greater tragedy here - greater than the misguided upbringing of those nincompoops masquerading as adults - are the kids. I do hope someone would teach those kids proper manners and speech or at least teach those adults to be more mindful of their words.

Paolo The Proofreader

I had to apologize to Dom for not attending his book launch. That was last September 27 and what happened was a classic fail.

The venue for the launch of the books of author Ma'am Jeanne Lim was in Davao Central High School (This tiny fact I only found out later). The event was to coincide with the school's homecoming. Sir Dom had given a text message before that the book launch will start at 3 in the afternoon in the Davao Chinese school.

Unfortunately, I had the erroneous idea that the Davao Chinese school is the Davao Christian High School (I honestly don't know where that notion came from). So when I arrived at the wrong school, I was inevitably greeted by the confused faces of the security guard and the janitor. To make matters worse, it started to rain really hard - the onset of Ondoy in Davao City - and I was trapped in the wrong campus for more than an hour.

After the rain stopped falling, I thanked the personnel of Davao Christian High School for their accidental hospitality and went home. I assumed that the affair was over at that point but, still, I was mentally shaking my head over what just happened.

So what made the book launch so special anyway that I felt compelled to go? Well, aside from the fact that Sir Dom, a mentor and my one-time idol, had played a huge part in the creation of Ma'am Lim's books, I also played a minor role in the making of those two books.

Sir Dom had tasked me to be one of the proofreaders and I was surprised that the job was pleasantly engaging the first time around. It was fun calling on my powers as an English major as I tried my best correcting typos and errors. I also enjoyed reading Ma'am Lim's works and I also learned a thing or two about screenplays.

But the work also had its downside. I wasn't exactly a detail-oriented person to begin with and it took a lot of effort to still be overzealous about the text after several pages. As much as the work was exhilarating, it was also quite mentally draining. And after I finished my task, I still had this nagging anxiety that I could have overlooked some mistakes in the manuscript.

Still, the bottom line was I had my fun (and now, I think I have a clearer idea why Mel loves her job so much).

A day after the launch, Sir Dom had requested that I go through the soft copies of the books once more just to give my final check. Right now, I'm still willing to do it but the thought of reading the same stories over again (no matter how good they are) is making me procastinate. Ergo, I can probably pursue proofreading as a leisurely activity but I would have to stay away from the idea of making a career out of it.

Biodegradable Shopping Bags

Several weeks ago, I noticed that SM was still going strong in its BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) campaign, a campaign aimed to entice shoppers to use reusable shopping bags instead of the less "environment-friendly" plastic bags of yesterday. I don't really know if the campaign is already gaining success but I still do see a great majority of shoppers touting "yellow" bags instead of "green" non-woven bags.

As for me, I love the idea of the eco-friendly reusable bag. I really do. But so far, my parents haven't bought any shopping bags of that sort yet and I am in no way inclined to pursuade them to do that. Maybe, I'm also resistant to change but it can also be that the reasons to buy those green bags are not compelling enough.

First, they say that I can help the environment by buying reusable bags. The rationale behind this is, since I'm using the same bag over and over again, the less number of plastic bags are used over time, and the less trash will accumulate in our landfills in the form of discarded plastic bags.

But I don't think this reason is good enough because I now see the phrase "Biodegradable- 100% degradable environment friendly bag" written on every SM plastic bag. I am assured then that these items won't lead to more trash and more overflowing landfills because these would simply rot in the soil (albeit after a lengthy period of time). In contrast, the non-woven polypropylene green bags touted as "eco-friendly" are more catastrophic to the environment; they are slow to breakdown and are likely to leave toxic residues in the ground. The question then is: Is the green bag really a whole lot better than the yellow plastic bag we have grown accustomed to?

My second point is that SM apparently doesn't have any incentive for shoppers using their green bags. Even if I'm using a green bag, I'm not entitled to any discount whatsoever for doing my part to save Planet Earth. This, to me, is unfair, since the costs of producing those yellow plastic bags have already been factored into the retail prices of the goods I'm buying. By using green bags, I'm saving SM some money in the form of reduced demand in yellow plastic bags and, in extension, the reduced production of these items. At the least, SM should recognize my contribution in lowering their costs by giving me even a Php5.00 discount every time I shop with a green bag.

So there. I'm not saying I won't be using green bags in the future. It's just that as long as my reasons for not using them remain valid, I will still be sticking around with yellow plastic bags. Besides, we've got garbage and those yellow bags do their jobs well as nifty trash bags.

And hopefully, this is the last time I'll ever write an article with the word "bag" written a million times.

Text Messages 11

Two babies were chatting inside the incubator:
Boy: Ba't ka pinanganak?
Girl: Ewan ko eh. Ikaw?
Boy: Ako? I was born to tell you "I love you".
- ang cheezy naman!
Edwin Gutierrez, September 13, 2009

Bana: Lav, ngano gahilak man ka?
Asawa: Huhu, swithart, ingon atong silingan akong dagway mura kuno'g iro!
Bana: Mga walay batasan! Gipaak unta nimo!
Edwin Gutierrez, September 13, 2009

Don't ever be angry on your friends because up to the last moments of life, what will hurt us are not the words of enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Mary Ann Andicoy, September 12, 2009

An airplane on its return flight suddenly encountered a turbulence. Oxygen bags started to be dispensed so all the passengers started to panic, except for one little boy who was playing with his PSP. They asked him why he was so calm and why he was not afraid to die. He answered, "My dad is the pilot." That's TRUST. If Jesus is the pilot of your life, there's no need to worry even when everything goes wrong.
Argyl Serrano, September 9, 2009

Don't waste your time searching. Instead, get busy by being the person everyone's looking for.
Argyl Serrano, September 8, 2009

Dear God,
Please take care of this person. Mabait naman yan kapag tulog. Doblehin niyo na lang po ang bantay ngayon kasi gising na yata. Amen
Edwin Gutierrez, September 7, 2009

There's no room for hate in a peaceful and loving heart.
Mary Ann Andicoy, September 7, 2009

"Every experience brings out something good." Good times become good memories, bad times become good lessons. You never lose; you only gain from life!
Mary Ann Andicoy, September 7, 2009

You don't drown by falling in the water.
You drown by staying in there.
Don't allow yourself to sink. Learn to swim with life.
Edwin Gutierrez, September 6, 2009

A turtle once told me that no matter how heavy his bearings are, it's God's choice to make him carry the luggage for it's the only way he will be protected.
Rogelyn Donor, September 5, 2009

Find time each day: to smile at your memories, laugh at your little mistakes, celebrate moments, and dance in the dreams you hold closest to your heart.
Faith Go, September 4, 2009

The faults you see in other's lives are often true in yourself. So help yourself to recognize your own hypocrisy. The better we know ourselves, the less we will criticize others.
Mary Ann Andicoy, August 31, 2009

The story of the textmates na mag-eyeball:
Girl: Magsul-ob kog Yellow blouse, ikaw?
Boy: I'll wear Green shirt.
At the coffee shop, ugly girl in yellow comes in but no guy in green. She approaches guy in red.
Girl: Excuse me, are you my textmate?
Boy: Ngeeh. Naka-green ba diay ko?
- Bright!
Edwin Gutierrez, August 30, 2009

Magkumare nag-uusap:
Lukresia: Sana di ko na isinama sa kabaong ni Kulas yung cellphone niya noong ilibing siya.
Puring: Bakit?
Lukresia: Nagtext siya, sabi, "Dito na me, where na you?"
Edwin Gutierrez, August 30, 2009

Although I am against obscenities, still, I have included this text joke because it made me laugh so hard.
Diary ng Panget:
Dear Diary,
I'm so happy, sakpan ko sa akong crush nagtan-aw niya! Iyo ko gipamalikasan. Kagwapo jud niya!
One time, iya ko gitukmod, dugo ako nose. Kay gituyo man jud nako siya ug bangga.Kilig kaayo ko! Hihihi, at least nagdikit mi.
Ngayo siya sa akong pic kay ipa-salvage daw ko niya. How sweet!
Ug ang pinaka-the best, ingon siya, "F--k you." Shucks! Na-horny ko!
Edwin Gutierrez, August 30, 2009

Lord, I entrust my friends to your never-failing care and love, knowing that what you can do for them is far better than what I can even pray for. Amen!
Mary Ann Andicoy, August 29, 2009

We spend 70% of our life waiting. The rest we spend on doing something we know will never last.
Kit Loma, August 29, 2009

"Words without actions are empty, while actions without words are confusing."
Rogelyn Donor, August 27, 2009

Don't try so hard looking for perfect partners or friends.It's just this simple, "Be with people who know how blessed they are when they have you."
Rogelyn Donor, August 27, 2009

No one is more secure than the one who is held in God's hands. Safety is not found in the absence of danger but in the presence of God.
Argyl Serrano, August 27, 2009

"No matter how our dreams may seem unreachable, dream them anyway. No matter how we have been hurt by the people we love, love them anyway. No matter how hard life is, live it anyway. No matter how our prayers seem unanswered, pray anyway."
Shiela Mandaguay, August 26, 2009

If you laugh really loud, talk spontaneously, and you don't care what your face looks like, you're probably with your real friends.
Edwin Gutierrez, August 25, 2009

Moving on is not about never looking back.It's taking a glance of yesterday and noticing how much you've grown since then.
Rogelyn Donor, August 25, 2009

You live. You breathe. You laugh. You cry. You scream.You suffer. You die. And somewhere in between - if you're lucky - you fall in love.
Edwin Gutierrez, August 25, 2009

Whoever touches our lives, leaves Heartprints of love, friendship, and joy. Thank you for being a Heartprint!
Argyl Serrano, August 25, 2009

Popular Architecture

You know, I would have taken up Architecture as a course if it only took me four years to finish it, instead of five. Right now, I'm just content looking at structures, pinpointing some mistakes here and there, and silently criticizing the owners and the architects who have brought these mistakes to life.

Filipinos can be a very curious lot. For instance, we are still looking for our Filipino roots but, in terms of our architectural preferences, we are steadfastly clinging onto our colonial heritage. This behavior manifests itself strongly in how we, the middle class, design our homes.

For instance, Filipino architects love concrete It is the most loved construction material ever: a versatile, strong material which is also known for its remarkable durability.

But concrete is also very expensive (and its production isn't exactly eco-friendly since it adds a lot of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere). Delivering it to construction sites takes a lot of money and the time necessary to allow it to set costs money too.

Nevertheless, we Filipinos love concrete, such that we have eschewed the more traditional, cheaper, and indigenous construction materials used by our forefathers in favor of cement floors and walls and metal roofs (To digress, My Shelter Foundation, a non-profit organization, has pioneered the use of alternative construction materials in several rural projects. Their design solutions have ranged from using ceramics to earth in building structures that are not only budget-friendly but also disaster-resistant).

I am thus reminded of a certain experiment by Gawad Kalinga in Sitio Target. Apart from the sociological issues that clobbered the entire enterprise, the issue about the Aetas' GK houses also points to the misguided notions that our Filipino architects seem to share. Instead of celebrating our roots by constructing domiciles made from native materials, our architects advise us to use more popular materials - materials they are most comfortable working with - in building our homes. There are also architects who pander to their clients' colonial mindsets by suggesting ways to make houses look more "Westernized" and "global".

Speaking then of "westernizing" one's own home, we Filipinos are also very good at assimilating design concepts that are totally out of sync with our climate. One good example are the many houses in my neighborhood which feature "gliding" or sliding glass windows. In a tropical country, these windows should be considered banned since they do not maximize air ventilation with regard to window size (a crucial factor in cooling homes). In contrast, the more conventional jalousie window allows air flow roughly across the entire surface of the window frame. Compared to that, gliding windows only allow air flow through just one half of the window frame area.

Finally, most of us are hopelessly infatuated with how an American suburbian home looks like. Sometimes, I do get irked whenever I see nothing but sprawling lawns and paved concrete in a lot. These kinds of lots are unnatural to look at and one could easily assume that the owner wants to feel like he's living somewhere else far from the Philippines.

I am the enemy of the manicured lawn and it is all for a good reason. First, I consider it a total waste of soil if one only plants grass in a lot instead of more substantial vegetation such as colorful plants, shrubs, or trees (which fare better in shielding your house from excessive solar radiation as compared to any variety of grass, excluding bamboo).

I am also the enemy of the pavement since it is a waste of valuable land. It is definitely a better idea to grow some plants on a piece of yard than to cover it all with hot concrete, incapable of absorbing water.

So there you go. I think that's it for now. I bet I can find more architectural disasters in the future but I'll save them for tomorrow's blog posts. As a final word, all I can say is the majority of us make poor home designers and, sad to say, most of us don't even know that. As long as trends in construction and architecture continue to blind our judgments, I think it is best if we do a bit more research on the proper way of designing our homes.