The Makiav3llian Enchantment…

The good news is that the Philippine Peso is strengthening against the US Dollar. Majority of the Philippine population don’t actually give a crap about it because it doesn’t affect their daily lives. What it actually means is that the price in gas may not go up, or would it? As an OFW, we feel the pain of this, why? Because the money we send back actually loses its value. Before when the exchange rate was 55PhP to 1USD, for 100USD, I get 5500PhP. Now, the rate is 45PhP to 1USD resulting to 4500PhP for every 100USD. I’ve just lost 1000PhP. Why did I lose, well for one thing, despite the strengthening of the peso, you would have seen any price drops on local commodities? How about schooling and tuition fees, did they drop? Oh, I also forgot about oil roll back? Nothing has changed despite the improvement of our currency, the thing though is that 10PhP is really not much is pretty much worthless in our society these days but it just pains to see me that I am getting less for my hard earned money and as an OFW, my family is not benefiting from it directly.
The good news is that we are not the only country suffering, India seems to have the same problem and if the trend actually continues, Indians from the UAE will travel back to their homeland since you can get competitive salaries and lower price of living. Unfortunately, in the Philippines there are still very few places of opportunity, or am I not looking hard enough? It’s a strange world out there with a very sensitive economic system, there is a lot of money out there, but it doesn’t grow on trees.

On the month of March, I apparently wrote a blog entry stating how I missed the good old days where family and friends were really a tight bunch. In these materialistic times we really lose sense of humanity and how it feels to be acknowledged by family and friends alike. It isn’t only during the times when someone has a birthday or liquor to spare should we celebrate and get together. I mean being around people is great, it makes you feel less alone in Dubai, sometimes the things we look for is just right next door and there is a person always willing to entertain.
I actually had the chance to meet one family, who just happened to be a relative of a neighbor of mine, cousins of Gelly. What I thought would be a standard, fix and repair operation actually turned out to be one of the better weekends I have experienced in a long time. I actually serviced their laptop and PC for two consecutive Fridays and it was just so nice being in a family atmosphere. Not that I don’t like it at home, seeing a complete family with a mom, dad, lola, sister, a couple of friends and kids was nice. Right now my family is kinda incomplete and all the partitioning has actually messed up things, at least I can say that my relationship with my brother is better than ever and I feel safe being around my dad.
In the Biglang-Awa household, all I can say is that it’s pretty cool. The kids are kids, the adults are also like kids too, big kids and its quite rare seeing everyone actually being in front of the television watching, although not family oriented, seeing everyone laugh while Edu does his grind in Game Ka Na Ba?, this is where the Kapuso/Kapamilya factor actually comes in. Forget the network wars; I was actually around a family atmosphere. While I was repairing what needs to be repaired, kids were playing, people watching TV and the women preparing halo halo, it just couldn’t get any better. Of course, I begin to miss what I had with my wife and daughter, as well as my own parents, brothers and sisters. It was just cool being around them and getting a little touch of the Pinoy tradition is something I yearn for. To Eric and Luz, thanks so much. It helps with my rehab! I miss my wife, daughter, Mom and Lola!
The only thing to do is try to pass this to my peers; I just do what I can to ease other people’s loneliness. I guess it’s good to also let my friends from the TPC community and other circle of friends feel the message that was just passed to me.

This Thursday, I actually had an opportunity to meet up with another TPC member, Blangkito, and had an opportunity to watch the new Harry Potter movie (HP and the Order of the Phoenix). Unfortunately, due to a sudden change of heart from my end, I swapped shifts with my colleague, out of my great intent; we missed the movie’s first ten minutes. It really pays to say "No" from time to time.
Well, I just wanted to drop a little tag about the new Potter movie, "Dolores Umbrdige can kiss my hiney. Luna Lovegood is insanely (lunatic) cute." The film for me was just OK. You can really tell that it has lost its childish edge and has now moved to a more mature dark theme, which is also obvious in the book as we lead to Lord Voldemort. I am not an HP purist but I did think that the film was technically short. I’ve read the book and enjoyed it but for such an ignorant critic like me, I just couldn’t find real things to appreciate about it, or maybe I was just expecting too much. The inner child in me may have gone overboard. The movie has matured and the actors can’t really be justified as fourteen, I maybe wrong though, I mean the audience would have matured as well but its not the type of film that you can just go and watch unless you have a little back ground on the book or previous movies. The movie is true to the book, I just expected more.
I could appreciate a couple of things only. You just have to love the Weasley Twins and they are a much as I expected them to be. Good looking blokes and mischievous as ever. Ron’s pretty buffed up but still being hit on by Malfoy. I don’t really want to give too much away but I would read the book again, because there are just too many plot points missed. The wizard fights for me were at least pretty good. What ever Harry taught, they used. It’s funny though how the older wizards hardly say anything when casting their spells. Voldemort and Dumbledore’s duel was pretty good. One saving grace for this movie was if Golum, yes Golum of Lord of the Rings, not Dobby, would have made a guest appearance, I’d love to see a Celebrity Death Match between Kreacher and him. Ahh, What the hell, even throw Dobby in!

Just passing a line to give my brother the heartiest of congratulatins for passing his driving exam yesterday, his first try. Great work you jabroni, finally you’ve done something right with your life and some one to drop me to Ibn Batoota Mall or just watch a real late night movie at MoE and a night drive roll. Remember to get that Mazda 3 I told you and drive safely!

Well, it would look like Etisalat has finally budged and a new promotion has come up. Introducing the Etisalat FCP or Favorite Country Plan. So what is all this, well, after pressure from DU which actually allow users to select 2 countries of their choice and get discounts on their calls, Etisalat has put up their own. You can choose one favorite country and depending on you current subscription, Pre-Paid or Post Paid, you actually get discounts during peak and off peak calls. Here are the details:

For Wasel

• 20% discount on IDD peak call rate
• 20% discount on IDD off peak call rate
• Customers can benefit from these discounts to call any number in their favorite country anytime they want.

For GSM Post-paid

• 25% discount on IDD peak call rate
• 25% discount on IDD off peak  call rate
• Customers can benefit from these discounts to call any number in their favourite country anytime they want.

So what’s the catch? Well, there are no monthly bills to pay at all, no documentation required. Like wow! Is this for real? This is quite a deal and about time, but wait… there is something on the fine print, it say…

"International calls (Peak and Off-Peak) to other countries will be 10% higher than current IDD rates."

So there’s the catch! If you want to call anyone else other than your favorite country, its gonna cost you 10% extra. It looks basically the same as you started but if you are calling one country only, I don’t think that it’s that bad. By the way, I am just looking at the fine print again, they are charging 33Fils per minute on FCP compared to the regular plan of 30Fils per minute on non-FCP. SMS also, 30Fils per message on FCP while 18Fils for non-FCP. Wait a minute (how much will this cost me) something is just not right…

Click on the links below to actually make a comparison:

GSM Post Paid Plan

Prepaid Plan

Favorite Country Plan

Do you see how much you may actually end up losing than gaining? Looks like we are not going to benefit from it after all and its marketing crap as usual.

Like the buzz in the FA Premiere League and the NBA, I have found myself to be in the free agency market. August 8 2007 marks my thrid years with my company and it has been a love/hate relationship with me rolling back and forth with regards to my job description and serving as utility man and PRO. Employment visas are good for three years and I am now going to be a free agent. Takes guts to call myself like this but basically, like all professional athletes I can either negotiate for a new contract or "opt-out" and get another line of work from another "team." I was actually thinking about it a few days back and it was just funny how this actually is. What are my options really? Let me lay them out:

• Once I hit that time where my visa is expired, I have 30 days to get a new job.
• I get sent back to the Philippines and think if I will come back on another "tour of duty."
• Ask my current employer to renew my contract and hopefull get a well deserved increment on my salary.

Unfortunately, salary increments are usually asked, they are not earned, which of course pisses me off. In a non-American / European company (no, Lebanese are not Europeans!), you can only beg or suck up major @$$ and then receive additional benefits. Other than that, you can just keep working and hope you can impress. Of course you can impress but if there is competition trying to take credit for your work, you can kiss that goodbye as well. Office politics is as real as the reality of leaving the Pines.
Anyways, here is a sample letter I wrote to the boss since this is the perfect opportunity for me to suck up, kiss some @$$ and get that increment I need. After all, I am dispensible after August 8, I’m a friggin’ free agent.

Dear Sir,

    This coming August 8, I would have already fulfilled my three years of service in [Name of Company]. It has been one exciting roller coaster ride and I’ve learned so much from this industry. I’ve been with the company during the good and bad times and would like to continue to share these times with the company.
    I write to you is to allay my fears and hopefully, I can look forward to my future with [Name of Company] being part of it. I would like to re-negotiate my contract with [Name of Company] and renew my commitment to the company that has employed me for the past 2 1/2 years. I have served loyally with [Name of Company] and I would also like to ask our kind office to consider my situation also in term of remuneration. As you know the cost of living in Dubai has gone up again and I also now have my daughter in school thus I have been forced to bring my family back to the Philippines. I do hope that you will consider my disposition and that I will be given the chance to retain my employment for the coming years and also be afforded the opportunity of a higher income to support my needs.

Hoping for your kind consideration.

Sincerest Regards,

Makiav3lli

The stories you hear about men being raped are true, even worse is the stories of being picked up brought to desert and gang banged for the rest of your life. Its so easy to take these things for granted and that it will not happen to you. Yes, you got the moustache, you may look like Papa Piolo’s chin, but these things don’t really matter in the dark. Taken from an uber-homo BSDM porn flick, these guys don’t stop till they get milked dry.
Sorry but this is the dark reality and it’s cruel. Dubai’s great but then once again I get picked up. Yes word! This is true. I was just waiting for the bus, in a semi-dark area of Dubai Internet City when a mini-van (from smoe private transport company) stops in front of me. Horning and lighting, it seems he could be lost and I could offer assistance. The moment I opened the door, he tells me to come in. I was looking for a ride home but I wasn’t that desperate. To make the long story short, he just kept flashing I kept coming back to see the problem, he goes telling me that he is headed where I am going and that he "ride’ good. After 5 minutes he was getting on my nerves asked him finally why he kept bothering me. I said “No ride!” and finally goes on to say "No fu*king?" I go like WTF. This sex crazed Pakistani was after my ass literally. I go berserker mode and tell him to wait while I call the police so that he could have his "backside" drilled. SOB! Finally, he left me, because if he didn’t, I would have picked up the hollow block by the waiting area and put a major dent up his van. He left hurriedly but I left him with the two finger salute. Fux0rz!
So what does this mean, well the Mak just wants you to wisen up. No, if you are smiling right now and thinking I don’t move, groom or dress manly enough, you’ve got another thing coming. When these jabronis look for ‘holes’ they make ‘holes’ and if you don’t know how to defend yourself, you may end up like one of the stories from the newspaper. Don’t think this happens to women only, it happens to guys as well. So I think it’s time for use to bring in some “taray.”

Here are some things you can do to avoid this type of scenario:

• Try to stay in a well lit area.
• Stay with a group.
• Never sit up front as much as possible. Always sit at the back. Yes, the guy is a driver.
  
• If offered a ride, inspect it. Lighting and if there are people inside.
• Try to get a ride when it is daytime, avoid these situations in the evening no matter how desperate you are.
  
• Start shouting when things get out of hand.
• Call the police or make a gesture on the phone that you are calling them.
• Get the plate number and damage the vehicle slightly so you can report it to the police, it’s evidence.
• Get your fisticuffs out, because its time to fight!