MikeLigalig.com

Rather than fight off the addictive TB habit, why not make hanging out here worthwhile and productive? Allow me to propose a business concept that will add value to the time we spend here. I think the global network of Boholanos we have established within a brief period can be mobilized to make a positive contribution to Bohol's economy and provide employment opportunities to Boholanos.

This is an invitation for brainstorming. Your inputs and reality check are most welcome.

If needed, I will break down my own ideas to digestible bits. I hope we could eventually come up with a working project under what we may tentatively call Global Bohol Inc.

Potential Projects

Call Center

I believe that the most suitable industry for Bohol is in the service sector. Being based in Japan, I can only speak about tested business opportunities here that will earn us foreign currency (yen) with minimal investment whose profits and risks we can spread among those who are interested.

You see, there are about 250,000 Filipinos here, more than 50% of whom are from the Visayas and Mindanao. As Japan is still the boomtown of the world, the Filipino market segment is lucrative. Just to give you an idea, the Philippine-bound international telephone traffic hovers only between 3rd or 4th in volume after the US, China and Korea. Door-to-door cargo forwarding accommodates about 10,000 balikbayan boxes every month. ABS-CBN has sold about 10,000 subcriptions to its new video-on-demand TFCko product within seven months of launching.

Based on the data I gathered from industry sources, more than 60% of the above sales are made by call centers, mostly based in Manila. To think that there are more Visayan-speaking than Tagalog-speaking Filipinos in Japan! I was thinking: if Tagbilaran has the minimum required infrastructure for a call center, why not do it here? We have the advantage of speaking the predominant language of the target market, lower rent and other overhead costs.

At an ABS-CBN Japan meeting today, to which I was invited as a consultant, a Korean dealer who has a network of 10 Manila-based call centers asked me to help him expand the market for his company's products: prepaid telephone cards, rechargeable telephone cards, internet subscriptions, cellular phones, etc. (all of which are a staple consumption of Filipinos). ABS-CBN is also offering an attractive yen-denominated commission for its TFCko subscriptions.

I have a database of about 12,000 Filipino residents in Japan. The product suppliers are also willing to provide us with client data.

ms da binsi, orChidsNroSes, grazie, C2H4,

daghan kaayong salamat for the compliment. honestly, duha na'y ga-shine naku ron... akong ngisi ug akong ulo...

bow sa ko so you get a full view... and allow me to log out for work... see you later today...

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 14, 2007, 12:00:37 PM
waaaaa! korekkk.. hala palit ko  ispat kanang daku!!!

ibalik tong imong avatar!

Naa baka gyud angayan ug opaw... naa dagway gyud na sa personality...ambot lang gyud!

ang case sa akong banana kana raman ang hairline nga nag recede na ba morag pila lang ka ten thousand strands ang gi add...

HEADlight diay ning ako, mas bagay nimo ms da binsi ang SPOTlight...

anyway, sige pulihan naku ni akong avatar one of these days...

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 14, 2007, 11:46:58 AM
wahahhahhahhahha

pero angayan man ka sa imong  avatar kadtong naa si juwawa nimo...

mas angayan noon ka adto.. i swear...

Daghan salamat. Ingon bitaw among pastor, "Brother Ben, tagsa ra baya'y opaw nga angayan..." Actually, I have stopped fussing about this a long, long time ago. Modesty aside, everytime I enter a room together with a good-looking guy, I surprisingly get the attention first. Ug mangutana gani si guapo nganong ang atensyon naa man gyud sa ako pirmi, I just reply, "I bring my own spotlight."

Quote from: C2H4 on November 14, 2007, 11:25:25 AM
Attractive man ang mga opaw, Sir Benelynne.

I remember a conversation I had with a college buddy, Jose Nilo Binongo (XUHS graduate, 2006 Professor of the Year at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta). This was when I was starting to lose my crown:

Nilo: Why do you fuss about your head? You look so dignified!
Me: I'll give you my dignity in exchange for your hair anytime.

Everytime we talk to each other, we laugh when we recall this repartee.

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 14, 2007, 11:24:41 AM
wala gyud as in kalimtan lang!

wa ka ba'y commission ani, ms da binsi? cuz am having second thoughts... still, i can just imagine my kids tickling themselves red and my wife seeing red...

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 14, 2007, 11:22:07 AM
Ben my banana had hair transplant baja...

and its amazing because it really work...

great job, looks really natural. naa'y maintenance ba kinahanglan?

Quote from: C2H4 on November 14, 2007, 11:06:07 AM
Plastic surgery ra ang solusyon ana, Sir Benelynne.

aguy! sakit nga solusyon!

akong mga anak, when they look at my pic at 21 (like this one in my avatar), katawa kaayo sila. when i asked why, they replied in chorus, "okashii" (strange and funny). i gave up the idea of a hair transplant... it's like being told, "you're problem's all in the head"

hi frog70,

unsa'y title ani?

gandang awit para sa mga pangit? in fairness, ganda ng melody. mura man nangitag tubag sa pangutana, "how do you face your problem if your face is your problem?"

Quote from: ben on November 14, 2007, 08:35:46 AM
Hi Benelynne,
  I think the connectivity is improving.  However sometimes there can be multiple failures - as we saw earlier this summer.  For most of June and July the connections were terrible because of various parts of the infrastructure blowing up.  Imagine what a 1 month outage could do to your business' performance and cashflow!
  AFAIK you can get a good enough connection now to do voice over IP.  I think it works thus: you pay a lot of money for a commercial connection from an ISP, then they prioritise your connection over the guys with regular plans.  Not always the case, but quite common.
cheers,
Ben

HI Ben,

Thanks for this prompt reply. I really want to hear feedback such as yours from those who have set up shop in Tagbi. I believe Tagbi should set its priority on the service industry, given the geographical constraints as well as concern for the environment. I think better internet connection and improved telecom infrastructure as a whole will make the place more business-friendly.

Quote from: ben on November 13, 2007, 05:09:59 PM
One key element to making outsourcing work is to have someone in the place you're servicing (eg USA).  They should ideally have sufficient contacts to sell to in order to get your business up and running.  An ideal opportunity for OFW professionals methinks - to send work here from their host country.

Hi Ben,

How do you personally assess the state of internet connectivity in Bohol? I would like to know, for instance, if the bandwidth is enough to serve the needs of your business? It seems to me that we have members in this forum who are connecting even from the far corners of the island.

I have friends running small- to medium-size call centers servicing the 250,000-strong Filipino market in Japan selling products such as ABS-CBN's newest video-on-demand TFCko service (they have recruited 10,000 subscribers in the first 7 months), beauty products, international telephone cards, what-have-you.

As I was thinking of slowly setting up shop in Tagbi myself, a call center was one of the projects I thought of. But I do not know if the infrastructure can support the business. I heard from my friends that their Visayan telemarketers are the best performers--if only because majority of the Filipino residents here are from the Visayas and Mindanao. I presume the regional profile of OFWs in other countries is similar.

Another prospective business that can easily be outsourced is publication design. As I myself used to publish a monthly paper, I belong to a group of publishers and editors who always complain about the high cost of content and graphic design--page layouts, advertising design, etc. I can imagine that artistic ability abound in Bohol.

But I really wonder if the present internet infrastructure in Tagbi can make outsourcing of such services feasible. It sure would be a big boost to the local economy if we get a portion of these outsourcing jobs from overseas.

What do you do for a living, what are you studying at school, what are your preoccupations or engagements as a homebody, etc?

Are you happy with what you are doing? Do you feel you are in the right career path? Are you thinking of changing your career or course? Would you rather be doing something else?

Quote from: RV on November 12, 2007, 08:18:29 PM
Yup. There is. My cousin plays soccer in CPG Sports Complex every afternoon. There is a group, I suppose, that regularly meets there.

Meanwhile, good soccer summer clinics are aplenty in Cebu. Phil Younghusband of Manchester United used to play in the Cebu International School Team.

The school where I teach, HOME OF THE BEST SOCCER TEAM in CEBU, also conducts Verano Boys Club from April to May. It's a clinic for sports and hobbies, from soccer to painting and is open to everyone.

You may get in touch with the coordinator in April. By then, the programs are nailed already.

Hi RV,

Thanks for this valuable info. Though my two daughters look forward to schooling in Tagbi, my son balked at first because there might not be a soccer team he can join. I'd appreciate it if you could introduce me to your cousin in April.

I don't really want my kids to be disoriented as this will be the longest time they will be spending in the Philippines. So I want all of them in Tagbi, which I consider to be a relatively safer place and closer to Mactan Int'l Airport (just 5 hours from me). Another option I considered was Manila, where we also have a house, but I don't like the environment there.

I guess I 'd need more input from you when the time comes because my eldest daughter is into arts and wants to find her own circle. She just received the Tsukuba City mayor's grand prize for her painting entered into a city-wide competition during the Culture Day here last Nov. 3.

Again, daghan salamat for the info.

Quote from: preciousNpolite on November 13, 2007, 03:06:03 AM
6 years ago I was not able to speak or understand the vernacular of the Visayan language. these day i still have some what difficulty with it.

You want to know why I do not use the Visayans so much is that many here actually do speak English.

You look very much at home in your photo, Precious. I am glad you're not having trouble with our local English accent. I am sure that in time, you'll also learn the Boholano vernacular... Learning another people's language will deepen your understanding of their mind.

My 15-year-old son is an avid soccer player and is a member of the soccer club in junior high here.

Anyone knows of a team or a group that he can join while in Tagbi, which will be starting April next year?

Quote from: Mari on November 12, 2007, 06:05:51 PM
himuon sad pirming kataw anan sa mga storya as if 'igno' na jud kaau tawn

Mas discriminatory jud ang parehong Pinoy no?

Kung "ija-ija ahu-aho" ang unang isulti nila sa Bol-anon, sa Ilongo "sa amon, ginapala-ginapiko ang kuwarta."

I get the worst of both worlds because sometimes I also introduce myself as Ilongo, in reference to my maternal side.

mari, mike,

abtik kaayo mo! di naman diay ko start...

Let me start. Most of the non-Boholano Filipinos I've introduced myself to generally say, "Nice place" and associate Bohol with Chocolate Hills... then they mention Bohol Beach Club and Panglao. Their general image of Bohol is that of a tourist spot.

Most of the Japanese are more familiar with Cebu than Bohol, but Bohol is slowly becoming more recognized. Those who have been here say Bohol is more beautiful than Cebu "but there is no golf course."

When you first introduced yourself as someone from Bohol, what were some of the most striking words, images or impressions you've received from non-Boholanos (Filipinos and foreigners alike)? Were there specific places, people or images that they mentioned? To those foreigners who've commented about Bohol, how did they learn of it?

Love this song, too, Mike. We're preparing to sing this as a special number at church one of these coming Sundays. Hope you're OK now.

Quote from: Macky Ferniz on November 11, 2007, 07:09:36 PM
However, we should not discriminate them as they are part of us. They are also heroes, in any way has contributed to our economy. They are just humans buying their way out of poverty in pursuit to happiness.

All honest labor is dignified, and every hard-earned dollar of the overseas Pinoy investment banker is worth the same as that of the domestic helper.

What troubles me is that as long as OFW dollar remittances are increasing (and they are, despite the daily bombings in Iraq, the Israel-Lebanon exchange of missiles, the increasing immigration restrictions in the US and Japan, etc.), our government sees little urgency in generating employment at home or creating policies to funnel those dollar remittances into investments rather than consumption.

A study has shown that in the long run, foreign exchange remittances from members working overseas are being made a substitute for gainful employment by family members at home. It is common for one OFW to support entire families, sometimes even extended families. Many of these members are not gainfully employed and are just relying on the monthly allowance from abroad. Many OFWs take it upon themselves to support even working-age siblings or nephews and nieces, taking high-risk jobs or subjecting themselves to exploitative conditions just to be able to send money home.

3,450 labor cases out of 250,000 OFW's in the Eastern region? This represents just a little over 1% of the total--which is obvioustly a gross underestimation.  In Japan, where even overstayers are assured of the mantle of labor standard, troubles about in the workplace among Filipinos. This should not surprise anyone since our government is so desperate to dispatch even low-end, non-skilled labor

We have relied too long on OFWs to prop up our economy. This was supposed to be just a stop-gap measure to cushion the impact of the oil shock in the late 70s, but OFW dollar earnings have become the bread-and-butter of our economy. Our government officials should try being modern-day heroes to experience how it actually is on the ground.

OFWs all want to go home--but the government, and sometimes even our families, don't seem to welcome the idea. This is very pathetic. The government should proactively devise programs for livelihood reintegration.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 10, 2007, 10:16:11 AM
Well said, Bene san! Arigato! I am learning a lot from your words of wisdom and I hope that someday when I am confronted again with opinions that doesn't match with mine, I will remember these words. The rule my husband and I have especially when we are discussing about politics, current events, stuff like that that we can not agree on, we agree to disagree!

Yes, I think there is such a thing as creative disagreement.

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 10, 2007, 09:20:57 AM
naka sabot diay ka sa akong Philippine-Maltese words Hapz???

Paapil. Unsa man diay ni nga lenguahe?

In my opinion, we need to strengthen our institutions and steer our politics away from personalities. For parliamentarianism to work for us, we have to have stable political parties, like UK and Japan.

UK has a strong two-party system--the Labor and the Conservative parties. Japan has a dominant party system, with the Liberal Democratic Party consistently at the helm, but still sharing power with and subjecting itself to the checks-and-balances of the Democratic Party of Japan and other minor parties.

One can tell what a politician stands for by his party affiliation, because political parties have historically well-defined platforms and policy orientations. Gamay lang ang mga balimbing, because politicians choose their parties not out of the momentary expediencies but out of long-term commitment to policies.

While a symbolic monarchy, historically entrenched and popular to the masses, provides a measure of stability in the rough-and-tumble of parliamentary politics, I don't think it is the main ingredient for parliamentray system to work. A notable example is Thailand, which has always been bedeviled by military coups and whose political parties have never evolved as stable institutions.

I think parliamentary system is a recipe for disaster in countries with weak political parties and tenuous institutions. Imagine what would happen in a country such as ours if the prime minister and his cabinet are unseated with short notice by a no-confidence vote, or if the parliament is suddenly dissolved by the prime minister.

The last political scenario in Japan--when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suddenly resigned (he probably thought he would be ousted by no-confidence vote anyway)--is unimaginable in the Philippines. Japan was practically without a chief executive for one week until Yasuo Fukuda, the present prime minister, was elected president by his party and subsequently prime minister by the Diet. The same one-week power vacuum transpired in May 2000 when then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi had a stroke and went into coma before he eventually died.

Surprisingly, government was business as usual even without a chief executive for several days. Japan's efficient bureaucracy is vaunted to be able to preside over government routine without executive direction from day to day. With very strong political parties, the stage is simply not open for power struggle between any individual politicians.

I honestly think we Filipinos are barking up the wrong tree in our elusive search for a government that will work for us.

We've had five different constitutions since the Malolos Congress of 1899 (and yes, we officially count that far back to point to the birth of our independence).

And now we're entertaining a 6th Constitution! No great country has fiddled with its basic law as frequently as we have. We should start asking if the problem is really with a piece of paper or with us.

I can point to two countries that have really succeeded with the parliamentary form of government--U.K. and Japan.

As Way Nada has pointed out, U.K. does not even have a written constitution. Japan has not touched a word of their pacifist Constitution adopted under the umbra of the Americans since 1947 as public support for amendment is very low (even under the very popular former prime minister Koizumi).

Quote from: preciousNpolite on November 10, 2007, 02:16:20 AM
Thanks i am always upbeat.

But when i see biases going on in here I am not intimidated to speak out about it.

As a judge here for several events I have noticed it and have been told being biased is a part of the culture.
Just not a part of mine.
My door is open to anyone who wants to air a constructive and a legitimate feeling.
But when people have to take things personally and start ganging up on people personally then some one has the right to fight for what should be right.
In here many persons get side tracked and onto some egotistical outburst as if what things said in here are about them personally.
If you feel your a great positive contributor then no need to be offensive as I have seen in this web site over and over again.
Even I am up beat the PAK PAK is gamay like some judges do to great talents here competing they give small acknowledgement and low scores if they do not know you and the performer is great, as someone popular the judges will judge for popularity.
It is normal here.
I know I am intelligent I am told that often in a day time.
I am sort of like Atty. Victor Delaserna carass and do not beat around the bush.
If your mean time after time it is only normal for that person to show back the same attitude as they are getting.
I have plenty of patience, but as you all know you can push some one so far or your going to get it.
When I get to the point most do not like it.
We call it a bait some one wants to keep on baiting you along until the point it is time to bite the worm.
Some like it when the worm bites as they feel it is a way of getting attention and not in a nice way.
Baiting for negatives. Something we learn in 8th grade socail sciences classes.

I have seen Philippine persons commenting in here and saying whats on their mind do the particulars group of same people harassing me harass them as well?
No! I wonder why that is?
Does it have something to do that I am not a brown skinned Boholana?
I have allot of friends and I know who they are, and in fact they say to me that they wished more persons were like me to the point and straight forward about what is the real life's story going on.
Thank you for the proper compliment it takes a real person now a days to even know how to give a compliment.

I give a compliment now a days to someone they act ashamed and do not know how to react, maybe they are not use to someone being nice to them?
Here someone would rather knock you down so you always regress instead of progress the Philippine persons call it "Crab Mentality" here.

I myself have reacted "vehemently" to one of the comments you have posted in another thread, which I felt characterized the Boholanos wholesale in a negative light.

I guess it's a real challenge to see things from an objective point of view. Sometimes we react to what we perceive as another's bias with another bias.

The best thing we can do is to be aware that we always have a perspective when we look at things. That perspective is influenced by our upbringing, education, environment, cultural values, etc.

So when we exchange views, let us be open to the perspectives of others and try to be sensitive to where he or she is coming from. Let's remind ourselves that we are not diminished by people who take views contrary to ours. I believe that every point of view can either reinforce ours--when it's agreeable--or refine it--when it is contrary. In this sense, every opinion, negative or positive, is always worth something.

Let me start by sharing with you my son's dream when he was about 7 or 8.

He said that each one of the five of us in the family were up in the air inside a soap bubble. The bubbles were bouncing up and down in the garden and we were really having fun, waving to one another from our bubbles. Then a hen came and pecked at each of the bubbles. End of the dream and he woke up.

I thought his dream was cute and funny. When I told my wife about this, we really had a hearty laugh.

I believe dreams don't have a one-on-one correspondence with reality--since they are mostly illogical and fantastic. But I think they reflect some of our concerns in the real world. A few days after that, while still puzzling over that funny dream, I realized that my son may have had some anxieties when he overheard me and my wife arguing. I thought the bubbles represented a happy family and the hen's intrusion his fear of something untoward to happen. I told my wife about this and we resolved not to fight again within hearing distance of the kids. I now remember that age of his, we certainly were going through the so-called 7-year itch of marriage...

More dreams but let me hear from you first...

By dream, I mean the mind's activity during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) part of sleep.

The Bible tells us of Joseph the dreamer, whose dreams  foretold of things to come. It was his series of dreams about taking leadership among his 12 brothers that earned their ire and drove them to plot his death. It was also his ability to interpret dreams accurately that took him from prison into the pharaoh's favor and made him second only in power in Egypt.

Do you remember your dreams? Do you think they mean anything?

Quote from: Sigbin II on November 08, 2007, 08:08:57 PM
Benelynne-san, as always, your posts are both very instructive and enlightening.  I hope our lawmakers and government officials are able to read them since your insights into the situation and status of Filipinos in Japan will certainly guide them in their manner of drafting laws that will secure empowerment for all Filipinos in Japan, and where-ever else in the world.  The write-up on how the children of some Filipino mothers fare academically in the schools there was troubling.  Especially the scenario of these children growing up to what is virtually second-class citizenship.  It is indeed time that the image of Filipinos as professionals and not just as entertainers be emphasized there.  Just because we also sing and dance doesn't mean that we don't think.
Domo arigato gozaimasu, Benelynne-sensei.

Thanks. Salamat pod kaayo for confirming my citizenship to Lumine.

Yes, I do hope our government sees beyond foreign currency earnings when it formulates policies.

These days, Filipinos always figure in any mishap in the world--when a bomb explodes in Madrid, or an airline crashes in Nagoya, or Israel exchanges missiles with Lebanon... And we're only able to read about high-profile incidents.

You never get to hear about overstaying Filipinos who dig fox holes under their tatami or straw-mat floor--without the knowledge of their landlord--to hide in when the Immigration knocks. You never hear about the Filipino stroke victim being turned back by the public hospital because he doesn't have health insurance and subseqently dies in the cold. You never hear about the Filipino pastor's wife bleeding to death of simple childbirth in an ambulance because five hospitals she was brought to declared they were full. You never hear about Filipina housewives being belittled by their in-laws in a language they are lucky enough not to fully understand. You never hear about children, casually called half, jumping out of school windows because their Filipina mother couldn't help them with their assignments.

Can't believe all we can do is make noise about some Jimmy Kimmel who says we can't speak English!!!

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 08, 2007, 12:04:26 PM
Yes Sir Benne,tugnaw na kaayo...nag heater na mi...Bakasyon ko by January puhon.Sayang sa April pa man mo no?Di bali basin diay naay chance magka EB ta dire sa JApan...

Toink me if you're in the neighborhood--Tokyo or thereabouts. Then I'll give my keitai number. Unsa may balita sa TF? Naa bay Christmas Bisdak EB? How long is your planned vacation in Bohol?

Quote from: lumine on November 08, 2007, 05:38:59 PM
hello sir bene,

i always look forward to your posts. like kuya jun, you're also one of the persons here in TB where wisdom is always attached.

thank you... wisdom is really a two-way thing. Proverbs 13:20a says, "He who walks with the wise grows wise." i guess it's pretty much the same with beauty. real beauty rubs off on those close by. so i really love your company here at TB.

Quote from: thatsmyboy1992 on November 08, 2007, 04:01:17 PM
i'm not really sure but honestly,looks does matter to me,ing ana lang ko ha but wala na sa guapa or guapo basta looks does matter to me, i can be a people person, modagan baya ko barangay kapitan sa Ilihan Ubay puhon sunod pag uli nako!iboto ang ating barangGay Kapitana!

Looks indeed consist not only of physical features you are born with that are pleasing to the eyes. It also includes, according to Wikipedia, physical factors such as "health, youthfulness, symmetry, averageness, and complexion." May mga tawo nga dili kaayo guapa or guapo pero kusog ang dating... You're right to take care of your well-toned body. My 15-year old son is a soccer player and I admire his discipline to stay in shape. More important is your self-confidence. With these characteristics, you'll make a good youth leader. That's my boy.

Quote from: C2H4 on November 08, 2007, 03:57:55 PM
Being that we were made in the likeness of God, all of us have inner beauty...even the most miserable people, even the so-called bad people nga pasaway sa katilingban...there will always be that inner light, inner beauty in our souls...

And that's why we are all beautiful...not everyone may appreciate it, but it's there...

Amen. Lest we become fixated on outward appearances, let us heed what the Holy Book reminds us:

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.     1 Peter 3

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 08, 2007, 11:57:48 AM
Ako na Sir Benne?.heheehe, bitaw,..libog ko sa una naay nag-ingon...you're not that beautiful but you're sooo attractive..ohhhh,that charm!

Beauty changes by each passing seasons,except in the heart where true beauty remains.....(^_^)

Kimi wa mitame mo, nakami mo utsukushii...

Translation: You're beautiful inside and out...

HI RV,

This poem touches a chord and resonates to an experience of brokenness in my distant, youthful past. I read this as a love poem, specifically a heartbreak poem. The poet seems to suffer from guilt in the failed relationship.

Though I am not as gifted a poet as you, I remember writing this poem during a deep low in my untethered days.

My heart has a dark shadow


Let me not run anymore

For I've covered enough distance

Trading passion for another passion

In a Sysiphean struggle that sees the shadow

Expanding rather than receding

With every place I go


Then I'll still have a place

That's not engulfed in any shadow

Where I can turn back to face the shadow

That makes my heart seek love

But doesn't know how to give it back

Because impenetrable, it can love only itself

I also read somewhere that beauty itself is an attitude.

Even if you not born physically endowed, but feel beautiful and good about yourself in a way affirmative of your self-worth as a person, you project an aura of beauty.

People who are charismatic and attract or are looked to by other people are not necessarily very good-looking people.

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 08, 2007, 09:48:15 AM
ay kanindot!

for me personality counts the best... i don't care the looks at all. i have see the BODIES Exhibit and i only realized that when our skin is removed we are all the same... red meat, same organs, everything...

Skin-deep beauty catches the eye; soul-deep beauty grabs the heart.

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 07, 2007, 07:45:57 PM
Well to continue..here I am kicking and alive,more careful and I'm thankful for what had happened instead,because I feel stronger and I learned a lot from them..And I met a lot of friends instead..Some were closing doors,but a lot of people were opening thier heart for us..My kids are shining through,giving me a reward from my sacrifices.I know I have to travel a lot,but I'm ready to face whatever challenges to meet...
All I know for now is to fight.for our rights..And I'm glad can wear my smile again...()
(putol na lang nako kay taassssssssss jod kaayo na..hehehe)

Hi orChidsNroSes,

Keep going, for life is not for the faint-hearted. I admire the way you've braved your struggles. Dili sayon ang naa sa imo kahimtang. I know this because I know of a lot of Filipinas in Japan who have given up after facing lesser hurdles.

A Japanese lady friend who has recently retired with her husband in her hometown, Iloilo, told me: in Japan, if you're a foreigner and do your best to be a good neighbor, you'll have a lot of acquaintances but still have no real friends.

I know how it feels to be physically inside a Japanese home but still feel like you're outside the Japanese circle. But with that glowing smile, I think you're doing just fine, strong lady.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 08, 2007, 07:55:50 AM
I guess it does ha judging from the result of the survey.  I agree with my dear sister's point that beauty fades and especially when one's attitude is unpleasant.

Personally, I like beauty that continues to shine, not beauty that comes with a flash but fades in time.

I think it's only inner beauty that has this quality. Unlike physical beauty, which comes as a full-course meal in one serving, inner beauty reveals itself in small servings but with ever increasing radiance.

We see this beauty in a person's attitude, in the thoughts we share, even in our unguarded moments of joy, sadness, surprise...

That's why in this vast coffeeshop of the cyberworld, I chose the seat closest to you here at TB. You are the most beautiful people on earth.

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 07, 2007, 11:52:11 AM
pagkaon na man lagi pod dire?.kana sus my faVe jod nako ang gyoza..apili pod ug ramen ha?

Tugnaw na diha sa Nagano, lami na ikaon ug ramen. Kanus-a ka bakasyon sa ato?

Quote from: Happy on November 08, 2007, 06:20:43 AM
Mr. Ben, its find with me, simple version ra hinuon ni ako hehe.. Hagoa raba himuon oi, pero di ko mag mind kay ganahan manko kaon
Maghimo kuno mi next week kay ni request si banana diri

Simple food ang pinakalami. The Japanese have very simple-looking food (pero ang uban lisod i-prepare). Ang sashimi, raw fish lang nga isawsaw sa toyo ug butangan wasabi (Japanese horseradish). Pero murag ang pag-cut sa fish meat may particular style that affects the taste. It seems so to me. Orchids&Roses, I'm sure, is an expert on Japanese cuisine.

Gyoza looks originally like Chinese dish to me.

O.T. naman kaayo ni kay food naman ning topic. On the same thread, however, I would just like to say that the way the Japanese prepare their food speaks of their innate love for harmony and peace. If you eat in traditional Japanese restaurants, food served on tray is arranged with high artistry. Naa'y harmony ug symmetry ang pag-arrange nila sa mga plato, platito, bowl, chopsticks ug pati sa mga sud-an. Very well-ordered, just like their society. I heard that the taste is as important as the presentation.

If we look at the high end of the beauty index, we know that the best looking stars in Hollywood or even in the local movieworld, are some of the best paid people in the world.

But does personal appearance really matter in everyday life? A Japanese TV show recently took up this interesting issue of human, nay male, behavior in regard to the physical appearance of the opposite sex with two experiments.

Experiment 1

The first experiment set up 50 men who were asked to queue up in a coffee shop on the guise of making a market survey of a new brand of coffee. Inside the coffee shop, each male customer was informed by the waitress that there were only two available seats. The customer naturally checks which seat to take-- and turning back, he sees one fat, unattractive lady on the far left and a glowing, gorgeous lady on the far right. He has to make a choice between the two seats in the middle closer to the left or to the right. There were about 5 hidden cameras to monitor even the smallest eye movements so this was really funny! The results?

34 men chose the seat closer to the right (beside the beautiful lady)
16 men chose the seat closer to the left (beside the unseemly lady)

What was even more hilarious was that two or three of the 16 men who chose the left seat did so to get a better view of the beautiful lady from a distance.

Experiment 2

Two female sales clerks were set up to take charge of two cash registers centrally located inside a convenience store. These were the same ladies in the coffee shop. The two ladies were positioned so that the client gets an equal view of both as he approaches the counter. Another set of 50 men were tested. The results? (Can't remember the exact numbers but this was even more surprising!)

45 men paid at the register with the beautiful sales clerk
5 men paid at the register with the unattractive sales clerk

The setup in experiment 2 is more interesting because the client has only a few seconds to consider his choice and therefore his behavior is more instinctual than deliberate.

So guys and girls, it seems that our behavior towards other people is influenced by how they look! Are you aware of this? Do you agree that physical beauty may be skin-deep but looks do matter?

Quote from: Happy on November 07, 2007, 05:07:41 AM
I'm a food fanatic person
Thats why I pick the food lol

Well, speaking of Gyoza(Japanese dumpling).
I like this food and I know how to make it. My hostfamily's favourite and so as my hubby's fave

Hi Happy,

Pa-sample sa imong gyoza inig EB sa Tagbi. I like the inside all veggie. I think all the ingredients of this yummy dish are available locally.

hi mari,

daghan man look-alike ang mga sinaw ug ulo. don't worry mari, i will not sneak into tagbi without your knowledge. might try a different look to surprise you.

Quote from: preciousNpolite on November 04, 2007, 12:15:20 AM
Since this topic was posted I would have to pretty much say that Bohol is already accepting International tourist straight from Korea to the Tagbilaran city domestic airport.
So would this not be considered already international?
Why just allow one country to be able to fly directly in here to Bohol it does not seem fair just to allow one country when other tourist from Australia, Europe, and Germany come here as well.
The airport facility is already becoming expanded and they already built a very modern and up to date new control tower recently.
It's great the tourist are comming here as they are now.
Panglao is not the only place to travel too here in Bohol.
There are many naturally and beautifuler and wonderfull sights to see in Bohol.
Why limit the tourist and concentrate them to one area of Bohol?
Tagbilaran City Airport is a good jump off place and allows the tourist a choice of where to head off too instead of being taken to a resort automatically in Panglao.
I have also many new and locally owned resorts sprouting up everywhere in the past two or three years.
I am to the point of saying keep it the way it is.

Hi Precious,

I like it when you're upbeat... We all basically share the same thoughts and sentiments about the place we love.

While we should not throw caution to the wind, let's try to stay calm, composed and cheerful in every situation. Our positive disposition is as important as a nice international airport in welcoming more tourists to Bohol.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 06, 2007, 09:31:47 AM
Of course, Jun, naa pay paglaum na mag bag o ang mga tao ug masugod kita sa atong kaugalingon ug sa atong nataran.  Hangtud naay kinabuhi, naa kitay paglaum.  That's true, gaka pino na ang moral fibers natong mga katawhan.  Kumbaga, we kind of think man gud ba na since we can not beat the corrupt system, we might as well join them!  Basta ako, I will always be hopeful na people will change for the better - if not for our generation to enjoy but for the generations to come.

Hi grazie,

Am one with you in rooting for hope. It's always nice to clinch every exchange with a note of optimism.

I guess the younger generation of Filipinos are facing a horizon of opportunities different from that of our times. I am amazed by how youngters seem to simply fiddle with computers. I now have to ask my daughter about new softwares, functions or keyboard shortcuts. I believe our educational system should adapt to these changing times and harness their abilities to pursue excellence in these fields.

But our schools should really address the concern about deterioration of English. After all, English is still the global language. It's a pity our best teachers are forced by economic imperatives to seek opportunities abroad and end up teaching children of other countries.

Quote from: lumine on November 05, 2007, 05:19:36 PM
i'm talking to my son in english so my husband can also understand what i'm talking about. but if we will be in the phils already, i will be talking both in english and cebuano so both my husband and my son will learn esp the cebuano.

hi lumine,

we in the south, Visayas and Mindanao, have an advantage over those who are raising their children in manila. our children can absorb many dialects, which in turn dispose them to acquire other language skills.

i, for one, can speak cebuano, ilonggo (from my mother), bol-anon (from my father, though my ability is hilaw), tagalog... and of course english and japanese. (ok man akong espanyol sa una kay required man ni sa college pero nabawasan sa pagtuon naku ug japanese). dili kaayo ko malibak bisag asa ko muadto. ironically, my wife's dialects remain a daunting challenge to me--Pagalatok and Ilocano. her hometown is the only part of the country where i really feel like a hapless foreigner.

since translation is my main trade, i want to expose my children to similar experiences I had as a child. i am taking all three of them for a one-year study vacation in bohol next year. japanese man gud ilang main language, and they read and write in that language. kung muangay sila sa tagbilaran, ipadayon na lang...

so next year, magkita-kita ta kay plano pud nako sila ipasyal sa mindanao, especially sa cdo.

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 05, 2007, 11:34:37 PM
Off topic:  What a very good looking couple!!! Thanks Bennelyne for pasting your very nice avatar...it's just so cute...

ms da binsi,

with you around, naa gud personal touch ang kukabildo, bisag homicide ug suicide na ang topic... you keep bohol's sun shine in all corners of this forum...

Quote from: Lorenzo on November 05, 2007, 10:02:23 AM
Ah, thank you. I remember reading about that, as suicide is a recent phenomenon affecting Japanese youth. What is the current discourse within the Japanese community about suicide? Do they still look at it as means of saving face and one's honor?
Very interesting cultural trait.

There is a very interesting difference between Japan and most other countries insofar as suicide and homicide rates are concerned.

Japan's homicide rate is perhaps one of the lowest in the world at 0.62 per 100,000 people as per latest WHO data. The Philippines, on the other hand, has 16.2 murders per 100,000 people.

This translates to a ratio of 26 Filipino murder victims for every Japanese murder victim.

But Japan's suicide rate is one of the highest in the world at 50.6 per 100,000 people as per latest WHO data. On the other hand, there are only 4.2 Filipinos killing themselves for every 100,000 people.

This translates to a ratio of 12 Japanese suicide victims for every Filipino suicide victim.

Homicide or suicide, it's the same dead body count. But one is a crime, the other is a sin, depending on one's religious conviction. I wonder how the total body count would change in both countries if only dead bodies were counted.

In 2005, close to 33,000 Japanese committed suicide, more than a third higher than the US. This is attributed to the economic woes, cultural and social acceptance of the practice and lack of religious prohibition.

Many Japanese high-ranking officials commit suicide at expose of corruption or small-scale malfeasance of public funds. I guess we'll run out of public officials in the Philippines if we share the same samurai ethos.

To jumpstart this thread, let me share with you this personal experience I wrote about many years ago.

Parenting in Japan

"FIGHT in Tagalog, please," screamed the wife of a Filipino expat working for an American company in Japan, as she disengaged her daughters from each other's nails.

Language is the bane of foreigners raising children in Japan. Youngsters learn the language of their environment without effort, sometimes to the chagrin of parents who are hard-pressed to catch up. However parents try to implement a bilingual policy, the language gap makes child-rearing doubly harder. As children gain greater proficiency in a language unfamiliar to their parents, the generation gap is accented beyond normal proportions.

To continue, please check out http://www.philippinestoday.net/July2001/onbalance701.htm

I noticed that more than half of our overseas members here are married to foreigners.

Although there's already a thread asking the hypothetical question of whether one would marry a person with a different culture, I would like to know about the major cultural, social or linguistic adjustments our Boholana ladies who are already married to such foreigners are making.

Please cite specific incidents, situations, cultural aspects, etc. How are you coping?

Let me share with you this talk I had with the President of Selti, the leading manpower agency which hired about 50 Filipino Assistant English Teachers in Tokyo last year. This is taken from http://www.philippinestoday.net/index.php?module=article&view=4.

Filipino Assistant English Teachers (AET’s) Take the Helm in Japan's Classrooms
by Benigno Tutor, Jr.

Teaching English in Japan used to be a tightly guarded domain of the so-called white, blond-haired native speakers. But when public schools opened in April of this year, about fifty (50) Filipinos were hired all over Japan as Assistant English Teachers (AET) in elementary and junior high schools.

Filipinos pride themselves on their American-style education which gives most college graduates a claim to native-level English proficiency, especially in the period before the bilingual policy was implemented. This recognition of their English ability, albeit belated, is therefore greeted with optimism.

What gave the impetus to this development were the liberalization of the Labor Dispatch Law in 1999, which widened the scope of manpower deployment to non-traditional sectors including teachers, and the kokusaika or internationalization program of the Japanese government which was translated into an education policy of an early start in English lessons in public schools.

Giving us an insider’s view of this propitious development is Yasushi Nakane, president of Selti, the leading manpower agency which hired most of the Filipino AET’s. What follows is the transcript of the free-wheeling interview, conducted in Japanese, last April 22, 2006 in Moriya City, Ibaraki Pref.




BDTJ: What do you think about Filipino AET’s?
Kawane: We would like more Filipinos to work as AET’s in Japanese public schools. Since English is one of the two official languages in the Philippines, Filipinos speak the language well. Many of the Filipino AET’s we have hired so far are earnest in their job, work hard and teach well. In fact, in our company, we have many foreign AET’s but Filipinos comprise the largest number, about 40 percent. Since we are a group of companies, the percentage to the total is just about 3 percent, but we would like to increase this. There are many excellent Filipinos AET’s.

BDTJ: By whose standard do you give this evaluationâ€"your company’s or the Japanese public schools’?
Kawane: This evaluation was given by our clients. For example, in Ibaraki Pref., many members of the boards of education in the area have given us positive feedback about the Filipino AET’s. According to them, even compared with the professional native speakers, many Filipinos are as good, if not better.

BDTJ: Until recently, the image associated with the word “English teacher” has always been a Caucasianâ€"American or British. It comes as a surprise then that Japan is finally accepting Filipinos as English teachers. How did this happen?
Kawane: Filipinos as persons are wonderful. This is a rather abstract statement, but for one to be a good Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in charge of children, one has to be cheerful, lively and cooperative with the Japanese homeroom teacher. In other words, an ALT has to have the heart of service for children as well as be cooperative with his or her Japanese counterpart. My personal impression is that Filipinos as a people have a sunny disposition, and perhaps because of their Christian background, are very devoted to their work. They are also well thought of by the Japanese teachers for their teamwork. Moreover, their English is clear, which is not to say that they do not have a distinct accent. English education in Japan is oriented towards American English, which is easier for the Japanese to listen to. As much as possible, we would like our teachers to speak closest to American English. Unless spoken very heavily, the Filipino accent is by and large acceptable.

BDTJ: Everything you have said about Filipinos has been favorable so far. Any suggestions on how they can improve themselves?
Kawane: If Filipinos want to keep this job or if more want to have this job, they should strive to speak standard American English. I think it will not take them much effort since the Filipinos studied English under the American-style educational system. Filipinos have all the advantages since they receive their education mostly in English.

BDTJ: Filipino AET’s are very eager to improve themselves. They are even discussing among themselves the plans for having workshops aside from those administered by their employers like you.
Kawane: I think the demand for English teachers is going to rise even more. There are plans afoot in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho) to make English a mandatory subject for higher grade elementary school children as early as 2010. Presently, English is taught in elementary schools under the “International Understanding” class. There is no test, and even basic grammar is not taught. The aim is simply to familiarize and acquaint children to the language. It is only when children enter junior high that English is taught as a subject.

BDTJ: It is almost inconceivable for us Filipinos that a private company has built itself into such a huge industry by selling English as its main product. Why is English ability so valuable in this society?
Kawane: The world economy is still centered on the US. This may be a bit exaggerated, but it is a fact that the language of global business is English. Japan is a small archipelago, which cannot sustain itself economically without doing business with the outside world.

BDTJ: It is ironic that so far, Japan has attained remarkable economic growth without mastery of the English language. Therefore, one cannot claim that English is so important to achieve economic growth. Why the sudden urgency to study English?
Kawane: Global competition has never been this fierce. In a world structured into East-West hemispheres, Japan simply had to produce nice industrial products and was assured of a market under the wings of American alliance. But with the obsolescence of communism and the crumbling of the East-West divide with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the world has become one global market, a level playing field for every one. Even the US has become a competitor, not to mention the emerging economies like China and South Korea. Japan has to go out into the world even more in order to sell its products. More than ever, it needs English to be able to do this. Japan cannot sit back on its English ability, what with a ranking of 100 in TOEFL score worldwide. Even in Asia, the Japanese trail miserably behind.

Quote from: Lorenzo on November 05, 2007, 09:57:13 AM
Hey Ben,

Thanks for that. Very interesting. Pero is it socially acceptable for Japanese to marry Filipinos? Also it brings me to interest because I have a friend here in college, who is from Pangasinan, who currently dates a Japanese girl as well, and he prefers Japanese girls over Filipinas etc. When you mentioned your earlier statement about inter-marriage, just naturally claimed my interest.

For Filipina women who marry Japanese, do they ever go back to the Philippines and bring their husbands with them? What is the usual response? Do Japanese husbands/wives of Filipinos learn Tagalog/Bisaya or is the Filipino/Filipina expected to completely assimilate into Japanese spouse's culture?

Thanks, Mr. Ben.

The Japanese society has opened up remarkably to so-called kokusai kekkon or international marriages in the last few years. Mixed marriages are no longer a novelty. I believe your friend will have no problem at all. Japanese women are not considered the best wives in the world for no reason at all. And given that your friend is highly educated, and is schooling in the US at that, I don't think his fiancee's family will consider it marrying down.

Are they at the stage of considering marriage? I believe that your friend has to talk it out with his girlfriend, since Japanese families have varying degrees of attachment to tradition. I guess OrchidsNRoses could shed more light on this. Naa pud na sila's custom nga murag pamanhikan. And some families insist on two ceremonies--the traditional Japanese ceremony and Western-style ceremony. Weddings are lucrative business here.

Most women bring their husbands for a vacation to introduce to their families in the Philippines.

Filipinas who live with their in-laws, like OrchidsNRoses, are expected to assimilate themselves in the Japanese language and culture.

But Japanese-Filipino couples who live independently from their families have more freedom to decide on what language and culture to adopt. Most children of such families that I know of predominantly take their father's language and culture.

Quote from: Lorenzo on November 05, 2007, 09:04:33 AM
Ben,

Is it common for Filipinas working in Japan to marry Japanese men? Or Filipino men marrying Japanese women? We can only hope that the Japanese view on Filipinos rises to maturity and view us as professionals and educated elites, not as entertainment workers. Thanks for the information.

Yours,
Lorenzo

Hi Lorenzo,

Of the 7000 Filipinos who marry Japanese nationals every year, only about 100 are males or 1.4%.

More than 98% are Filipino women marrying Japanese men. This is expected since the Filipino women work or used to work in places where they interacted with Japanese men frequently.

There is also social explanation for this.  It is more socially acceptable for men to marry down (to marry with a woman of lower social status) than for a woman to marry down. Japanese women are expected to marry up because they are not expected to work but take care of the family, and therefore their men have to have the economic capacity to support them. Needless to say, for the Japanese, marrying with a Filipino (male or female) is considered marrying down.

Sadly, it is human nature to make stereotypes of people based on what has been passed on to us in history books, what we read in the papers as well as on frequency of interaction with people of the same occupational category.

The white man, anywhere in the world, (would you believe even in highly civilized Japan) has always been looked upon as a demigod.

In Japan, the image of Filipinas as entertainers still sticks two years after Japan effectively banned them with the enforcement of the Action Plan on Anti-Human Trafficking through a revised Immigration Law passed in March 2005.

Can you blame the Japanese for thinking that all Filipinos could ever do is sing, dance and occasionally shed a layer of clothing onstage, when hard-working Japanese men were regaled to such entertainment by their companies for more than 20 years since mid-80's? And the Philippine government more than willingly deployed every year about 100,000 of our best-looking women.

Now some of those Filipinas have the good fortune of marrying with Japanese and settling to happy family life. A few of them who have college diplomas, and whose visas have been upgraded to "spouse" or "permanent resident", have tried applying as English teachers.

The Japanese initially rebuffed Filipinas, preferring white native English speakers. Interestingly, East Europeans and Argentinians qualified as English teachers even without interview, just going by the color of their skin.

In the last two years, they have started to accept Filipinos when they found out that we can really teach English better. The Japanese don't sit well with the very combative Americans and British, who would fight for the finest print of their contract to claim rights and privileges. The Filipinos, on the other hand, show patience and concentrate on their performance.

There's still a long way to go for the Filipino "entertainer" image here to be replaced by the "professional" image. In the end, changing our image to conform with the real Filipino really lies in our collective effort.

I would just like to share this article which gives us a background on Japan's low crime rate. You'd be surprised that despite its vaunted success in maintaining peace and order, Japan is not totally free of crimes--petty and horrendous. This just goes to show that peace and order anywhere in the world does not just grow on trees but is proactively sought and maintained.

Masters of all they survey
Edan Corkill spends a day at the busiest police box in Japan


By EDAN CORKILL

"How do you get to the Seibu department store?"


By day, Shibuya crossing in the heart of Tokyo's "youth mecca" is thronged with shoppers; through the night, revelers take over. Officers manning the police box there, give directions to members of the public every 43 seconds on average (above and below), but looking out for miscreants (bottom) is a key part of their job as well. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTOS (top and above); EDAN CORKILL PHOTOS



"See that sign over there? It's under that."

"Thank you."

Within seconds of The Japan Times starting its stakeout beside the Shibuya Station Koban, the police box's first satisfied customer asking directions was already on her way. It was 45 seconds past 10 a.m. and, at this rate, over the next 12 hours the box's boys in (dark) blue would deal with some 1,000 such inquiries. And who knows what else.

"This is a long weekend, so it will be busy," said one young policeman.

"Street directions. Lost property. On weekday mornings, chikan (sexual molesters) on trains and subways. On rainy days, fights â€" people bump each other with umbrellas; at night, fights â€" people get drunk. But during the day it's mostly street directions."

The officer hardly had time to get through explaining his list of regular jobs before a purposeful-looking, middle-aged man strode up.

"Where's the nearest post office?"

"Under the train tracks, up the hill on the left."

"Thank you."

Another customer easily satisfied by the officer's encyclopedic knowledge of this central Tokyo district commonly dubbed "Japan's youth mecca."

Around the world these days, not many police forces have functioning police boxes on the scale of Japan â€" around 1,200 in Tokyo alone â€" having opted instead for networks of police stations and foot and car patrols. However, over the last few years, it has been suggested that the koban system â€" Japan's most visible branch of law enforcement since the system was instituted in 1874 â€" is partly responsible for its fabled low crime rate. They're now being copied in Singapore and Brazil.

"And I think in Indonesia, too," said the Deputy Chief of Shibuya Police Station, Tetsuo Kamei, when I raised the subject during a recent interview at his office. "There's a policewoman from Indonesia here today, studying the same Shibuya Station koban that you visited," he said.

Hmm, well, I hope they let her inside, I think to myself. On my visit, fearful that I would disrupt the work of Tokyo's finest, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) had banned me from setting foot inside the koban, but had been happy for me stand and observe from outside . . . for almost 12 hours.

The policemen were hardly any better off, so for the most part we stood together, gazing out at the big blue sky, the jumble of buildings, the neon, the giant screens and, of course, the famous Shibuya intersection with its rivers of people endlessly streaming into the area's maze of back streets, its four department store buildings, its thousands of restaurants, hundreds of bars and, maybe, even its 1,340 designated "businesses affecting public morals" (aka sex shops).

But what do these policemen â€" standing, like lions surveying migrating wildebeest â€" do all day, I had wondered? And now I was beginning to find out.

"Across the road and about five shops down on the right."

Or maybe it was six. Either way, the young girl who had been holding out a piece of paper with a clothes shop's address on it was now happily on her way.

The koban at Shibuya Station is widely reckoned to be Japan's busiest. On any day it will receive up to 2,000 inquiries for street directions. "That's about one every 43 seconds," Kamei explained.

A team of six police officers, led by a lieutenant (keibuho), and occasionally with the help of a "koban counselor" (koban sodan-in), man the police box during the day shift from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. The next day, the same officers work in the main Shibuya Police Station before returning to the koban the day after for a night shift that runs from 4 p.m. right through until 10 a.m. Then they have the following day off. Lest they be tempted to nod off on the job, though, there are no sleeping facilities in the Shibuya Station koban, just a room where officers can sit down and rest. Equally, there's no temporary lockup either â€" nor any cooking facilities, meaning meals are delivered by local shops.

And, speaking of food:

"I heard there is a famous gyoza (Chinese dumplings) restaurant around here."

"Ando-san, do you know a famous gyoza restaurant?"

"What? Gyoza? Oh, there's one if you go up Center-gai and make the first left."

"OK, thanks."

So who's Ando-san? He was older than the others, and closer inspection reveals he had a different badge too. He also didn't have a sidearm.

"I'm what's called a koban counselor," he said. "I was a policeman for 40 years before I started this job, almost five years ago."

Ex-cops such as Ando-san now help out at Tokyo's busiest police boxes, covering where, for the last few years, there have been cries of understaffing, and at the same time putting their often unmatched knowledge of localities to use.

"We try to answer everyone's inquiries as politely as possible," Ando explained.

And the effort seems to pay off.

Ms. Tanaka, in town from Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture, checked with Ando-san the location of a cake shop she was planning to take her daughter to.

"They're always very polite," she said. "I always ask at the koban when I am going somewhere. I'm not embarrassed to ask directions."

By 2 p.m. the waves of people disgorged from each Yamanote Line train looping central Tokyo had merged into a single, unceasing river. Fed by those overground trains and numerous subways too, the flow of 2.4 million people who use this station every day formed a human wave so unrelenting that even Moses would have thought twice before crossing.

It is among those crowds that we got our first real action of the day.

I learned later from Deputy Chief Kamei that Shibuya has one of the highest rates of drug-possession charges in Tokyo â€" about 10 times the metropolitan average. And, as part of their crackdown, the koban police officers are on the lookout for odd behavior.

"If the officers think someone might be under the influence of drugs (he mentioned blank stares and wandering eyes as clues), they will stop them, talk to them and maybe ask them to submit to a check of possessions. There are a lot of cases where people are caught with amphetamines," Kamei said.

He was careful to explain that "under the Police Execution of Duties Law, if someone is acting strangely the police have the right to stop them and talk to them â€" it's what we call shokumu shitsumon (police questioning)." However, he said, "searches of possessions may be done only with the consent of the subject." (He added that "foreigners acting suspiciously are also subject to police questioning." And it is worth noting that officers also have the power to demand to see foreigners' alien registration cards, even in the absence of suspicious activity.)

Judging from what I was seeing, the police at Shibuya Station Koban are less interested in whether you look drugged out than whether or not you're a man, your pockets are bulging and your eyebrows are plucked.

OK, so maybe the plucked eyebrows part is a coincidence. You see, men with plucked eyebrows in Shibuya often also have red- or yellow-dyed asymmetrical crew cuts, gold jewelry, sunglasses and either pajama-like tracksuits or half-open floral shirts. By my reckoning such people have about an 80 percent chance of being approached if they do so much as glance at the Shibuya Station Koban.

To read the complete article, check this out at http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20071028x1.html

Quote from: benelynne on November 04, 2007, 08:46:35 AM

Ato-ato ra, pero confident ko nga at any time of the day, I can beat Americans in a grammar and spelling test. I am sure most of us at TB can!

Lumine,

No offense meant to your American hubby. I am sure your choice of partner is as impeccable as your English... although we all have human lapses despite our best intentions...

By the way, na OT naman diay ko.

Anyway, going back to the thought of this thread, I would just like to say that Filipinos are born with a talent for languages.

Kani ganing mga so-called "native English speakers", usahay dili magkasinabot. When I was studying Japanese at the Tokyo University School of Foreign Languages for one year, I was the interpreter between a British and an American classmate. Unya naa pay niabot nga Australian student nga nakurat mi kay nisulti, "I am going to the hospital to die" (and pasabot man diay "I am going to the hospital today").

Ato-ato ra, pero confident ko nga at any time of the day, I can beat Americans in a grammar and spelling test. I am sure most of us at TB can!

Quote from: lumine on November 03, 2007, 05:41:40 PM
thanks a lot, mr. ben!

honestly, the link you gave, mr. ben, made me laugh. isn't it the opposite of the lines from "desperate housewives"?

mr. ben, for a japanese like you, your english ability is already the best.

Hi Lumine,

I have always been mistaken for a Japanese. When I went to Bohol with my tan-skinned wife, two equally sun-browned kids in tow, a few years ago, the Cebuana ladies beside her whispered "Your Japanese husband speaks Tagalog perfectly."

You can just imagine how astonished they were when I responded in Binisaya, "Mura diay kog Hapon ug nawong? Bol-anon intawon ko."

Honestly, I consider it a more heart-warming compliment to elicit the first impression of that of a Filipino who speaks Japanese well than a Japanese who speaks English or Tagalog perfectly.

By the way, CDO is my second home after Bohol. I actually spent more years there than in Bohol. I hope to see you there one of these days.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 03, 2007, 01:12:05 PM
I understand, Mr. Bene, that this kind of set up is not only in Japan?  In some ways, traditional India and I think Bangladesh and Arab countries too still thought that men are so superior than women that the women's family had to pay dowry to the groom for "passing on" the responsibility of taking care of their daughter.  In Bangladesh, Bengali women has to practically slave for their husbands just like what you and Orchids explained here.  So I supposed they don't watch tv and how the role of men and women has evolved since bygone years?  I am just a curious Grazie so I may sound foolish with all my questions but I just am - well, curious.

Ironically, feminists have a hushed voice in Japan. Gender inequality here does not have the same dimensions as in the rigid class societies of India and Bangladesh. In fact, practices of outright oppression or discrimination of the female by the male are almost nil. There is a sense of happy consensus in the socially designated roles of men and women.

I don't know about O&R, but in most Japanese homes, the wife holds the pursestrings. While her role is certainly relegated to the household, the Japanese woman rules it like a kingdom. She has the greater influence in decisions concerning money and children. No, she is not a hogtied slave. The average Japanese woman is a fashionable consumer--the most lucrative market for European signature products. Her daily routine maybe limited to the four walls of the home, but during vacation time, she is allowed by her husband to trot the globe, making the average Japanese woman the most well-traveled among her peers in the world.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 03, 2007, 01:12:05 PM
Arigato, Benelynne san and Orchids san!

Benelynne san, you really helped me in understanding a bit of the Japanese culture.  You explained it so well.  Salamat po!

I learned a lot from both your posts. It's very interesting and at first, I have to admit that I was appalled by the set up there but when you said Orchids that you talked to your husband about your living condition and spoke out your concerns, he was willing to compromise and respected your wishes.  You were brave and Filipino women should be brave enough to stand for their own right.  I may sound like a feminist but it's really beyond me that women would allow to be treated like that. 

I understand, Mr. Bene, that this kind of set up is not only in Japan?  In some ways, traditional India and I think Bangladesh and Arab countries too still thought that men are so superior than women that the women's family had to pay dowry to the groom for "passing on" the responsibility of taking care of their daughter.  In Bangladesh, Bengali women has to practically slave for their husbands just like what you and Orchids explained here.  So I supposed they don't watch tv and how the role of men and women has evolved since bygone years?  I am just a curious Grazie so I may sound foolish with all my questions but I just am - well, curious.

Hi Grazie,

Just like you, I'm an avid student--always trying to learn something new. I appreciate being asked, because in the process of answering your questions, I end up learning new things.

OrchidsNRoses has given us a valuable insight from within. I am married to a Filipina, so I don't have first-hand experience of gender dynamics inside a Japanese home. As a foreigner married to the eldest son, O&R is indeed in an extraordinary situation. Japan still follows primogeniture, in which the eldest son inherits the entire estate of the family. Even if O&R were a Japanese, she would have a hard time with the younger sibling of her spouse who would scrutinize her ability as partner in the maintenance of the estate of their parents. As a foreigner, she is expected to be treated with double suspicion from the younger sibling. You can just imagine the intensity of their fears at the prospect of samurai wealth passing hands to a Dagohoy offspring. (The wealthier the family, the truer this is.)

It is amazing that O&R has surmounted all of those hardships and has been affirmed by the husband as a mainstay of the household. O&R's case is exceptional, and we should credit her Boholana sunny disposition and long suffering.

The rest of the 100,000 or more Filipinas married to Japanese are not as blessed. Going by the statistics of the last five years, close to one half of them will end up in divorce. Most Filipinas I know bear only the critical five years--when they become eligible for permanent residency--and when they get it, they bid their Japanese husbands sayonara as well.

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 02, 2007, 04:30:54 PM
Mao ba Sir Benne?...ako kay from 1985 to 1990 ra hinuon,kay sa Cebu na man pod ko nag-eskwela ug tiwas.Didto ko nag hi-school to 1st yr. college.Diha mi nagpuyo duol sa may cocofed building sa una.Duol ra pod sa market ug sa COC..sayang wala na ka pag adto nako no?hehehe naa unta kung kasuroyan nga paisano.

I was already bound for Japan at about this time. Anyway, I'm sure there are many common things nga atong nakit-an ug nalabyan sa CDO.

Quote from: C2H4 on November 03, 2007, 09:13:14 AM
I don't know them Sir Benelynne, sorry. I was batch '96. Wala diay ka'y attend2x sa mga reunion, sir?

C2H4,

We're a generation apart man diay. We had a grand reunion in August last year, but I wasn't able to attend. Anyway, I will just call for an instant EB-cum-reunion if I find enough time next year.

I understand CDO has transformed dramatically. The last time I was there was in 1991. Siguro naa pa tay nasuyop nga parehong hangin at that time. I plan to take my kids for a visit there next year.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 02, 2007, 12:02:12 AM
Hi Benelynne,

I read your column in the link you shared earlier.  Thanks for the insight of what our fellow Filipino mothers in Japan has to deal in regard to the importance of knowing the Japanese language vis a vis their role as mothers. 

I am particulary disturbed in what you said, which I quote:  "I do not know of a Japanese-Filipino child who has progressed beyond high school."  Really? You said that fathers are not expected to be of any help with school assignments. Why is that?  I kind of learn about this too because I have two cousins who are married to Japanese nationals.  I didn't want to say anything but whenever they are on vacation in Tagbilaran, my cousins are doing most of the job with little help from their husbands.  In our term, gakagwatay-gwatay na and yet his husbands are still cool.  Is this just an isolated case or am I making a generalization here?  Is it just a cultural thing? I was thinking Japanese are not yet gender sensitive.  I would rather be wrong. 

 

Thanks a lot!

Orchids, can you share also your view on this matter?
   

Hi grazie,

The social landscape has changed a lot since the burst of the bubble economy in the mid-90s. There are more women in the workforce. But women are still paid less than the men for the same job. In fact, nobody cries foul over job ads that openly pay men more than the women. And Japan still lags most countries in the world in terms of hiring women on the top corporate echelons.

But I see more men carry babies in the public, a sight unimaginable in the economic heydey of Japan. I doubt, however, if more Japanese men share in the household chores. I believe OrchidsNRoses should be able to say more about this.

You see, a good part of gender relations in Japan is embedded in its culture and history. As you probably know, the Japanese script--kanji or character--is a pictograph which contains the meaning or connotation of the word. In really difficult compound characters, you can guess the meaning with accuracy by looking at the component characters.

For example, Japanese women refer to their husband as shujin, whose character means "master" or "lord." Not only that, they attach an honorific go when they speak of him to other people, which literally makes them address their husband as "my lord". (Of course the word is used less deferentially and more casually these days.)

On the other hand, when a Japanese man speaks of his own wife to other people, he uses the word kanai whose character means "the inside of the house." While this character seems to describe and prescribe the role of women inside the house, it also has the positive meaning of the comfort and safety of the home.

When you talk about somebody else's wife, you use the word okusan or okusama (more polite). Interestingly, the character means the back, or the interior. In one character, the Japanese are expressing the saying, "Behind every man's success is a woman." Perhaps, Japanese men really expect their wives to just give them support behind them.

As to history, during Japan's period of high-economic growth in in the 60s (when we in the 40s and late 30s were children and toddlers), men were expected to have their company as their top priority while the women the home as their domain.

So much for now. I hope I have not confused you.

Quote from: lumine on November 02, 2007, 06:30:50 PM
it's not defamation man unlike sa "desperate housewives". besides, the host used the word, "probably" which means, he himself is uncertain.

You've illuminated the point, Lumine. A word lost in translation or in transmission can make a whole world of difference.

If less than 50% of American high school students can tell where Canada, Russia or the Philippines is, how can you expect them to know what languages are spoken in these places?

Check out these interesting statistics at http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph/edu_geo_apt_res-education-geographical-aptitude-results. The Philippines is actually #1 in an on-line geographical aptitude test while the US is only #96.

Besides, I've always found it easy to deal with someone who badmouths my English ability. Like Grazie, just speak to them in your best English. In Japan, when know you are a foreigner, they immediately presume you don't know the language. Following the Japanese culture of fake humility, I apologize for my limited Japanese ability in the finest, politest Japanese I can muster. Then they're speechless.

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 02, 2007, 11:45:44 AM
I was a COCian.....my unforgetful moment during my hi-schooldays was ...when my teacher visited me.Yakkkkkssssss guapo man siya but as a teacher,lood man oy..hehehe

Small world, orChidsNroSes. Nagpuyo pod diay ka sa Cagayan? I lived in Carmen from Grade 6 through 4th yr (1976 through 1981).

Quote from: C2H4 on November 02, 2007, 09:44:49 AM
XUHS diay ka Sir Benelynne?

I was at LCHS, and it was always a thrill when xu boys would come over for a symposium or for what they called, "brothers" class. Exciting pud kaayo kung Valentines Day, unya ang mga lchs girls makadawat dayon ug roses and chocolates from cute xu boys. Those were the days...

What a pleasant surprise! Unsa ma'y imong batch? In my time, we had a sister class at LCHS... Do you know Marites Rana and Emma Barron... They were known to be the prettiest in their batch and were my very good friends. I just wonder where they are now and what they're doing.

I just remembered writing about high school nostalgia a long way back. Let me share it with you http://www.philippinestoday.net/September2001/onbalance901.htm.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 01, 2007, 11:39:13 AM
Nan karon da binsi gagamit ta ani gipangutana na kita unsay english ani hahahha.  let's try these words:

batakang balaud - constitution (courtesy of TB member, the brilliant Mr. Way Nada)
kukabildo - my understanding is, it's debate or interaction (kinsay supak ani na translation?)
sandurot - (hala ka da binsi, ikaw gagamit ani!).  My guess is it's like to relate by way of association and communication or to be one with us in our cause for unity, brotherhood and happiness.  (gisobrahan na kana nako para mas mo chada jud ang sandurot!)

Any thoughts, guys?

daghang salamat. gamiton na naku ni kung may higayon. may resistance lang ko gamay sa sandurot kay it rhymes with words in Tagalog that are associated with negative meaning like... harot, haliparot... unsa pa kaha? anyway, kung in-ani kalawom ang tabay sa bohol, what do they care?

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 01, 2007, 10:54:56 AM
ohenji wo arigatou gozaimashita!...Hai,watashi wa TF no memba- desu.mata yoroshiku..Zannen no ga,Seikai Ururun wo miemasen deshita.kondo nani ka attara osheite kudasai ne.Sir Reon ni yoroshiku ne..Hai,kaeru yotei ga arimasu bohoru e,rainen no ichigatsu desu..Itsuka Nagano e,oide..Ano aida no Bisdak no EB wa,dou datta?watashi ga ikimasen deshita.
Toi kara ne.Dewa mata ne,..

Hi orChidsNroSes,

I like your signature. It's the equivalent of the English adage, "silent waters run deep" and ms da binsi's expression "lawom pa sa tabay" (pero murag di man siguro ni silent si ms da binsi kay murag kusog man mukatawa).

Ang definite plan pa nako muuli April next year. Anyway, pwede man ta magkikita-kita diri sa TB anytime.

I wasn't able to attend the last Bisdak EB in Tokyo. I was part of the Bisdak EB in Kawasaki last year. I invited good friend Jobelle Salvador who is presently in Tokyo (though she's not a Bisdak) and colleague Tepen. Bibo pod kaayo.

I'd love to visit Nagano one day.

Quote from: ms da binsi on November 01, 2007, 10:26:22 AM
nag ka lawon na man na Grazz...

wahahahhahhahha

Hi ms da binsi, grazie,

Mas daghan pa man siguro ko angay tun-an sa binol-anon kaysa ubang languages. Please tell me what the following mean:

batakang balaud

kukabildo

sandurot

grazie,

sori kaayo na-miss nako ang "day". as they say, it's not one's age, it's how young one looks. so just bloom!

Quote from: Bambi on October 31, 2007, 11:45:54 PM
Hello Benelynne,
Na mora Sir!  Hoy....pastilan mosamot tag kalibog ini oi!   Bonsai, samurai ug sayonara, the only three Japanese words I know means "I love you" for the offered lessons, I feel honored!  Mas lisod ug taas paman ni sa lawom nga Bisayan words. More harder than German language kay magdrawing paman tag una unja sabton pa gjod.

Nice hearing you again despite of your busy days. Kumusta kana diha ug Pamilya?  Hinay-hinay tawon ug tulon sa saging okey? apili na lang ug saki aron dili kaajo gahi tunlon.

Yes, I am planning to go home by December. Meet yout at our EB there. (Korek ba ning ahong Japanese translation??? Gatuwad-tuwad na gjod ko ini ug pagsulat, pastilang sakita nas hawak naho...you know, it is not a joke getting older.
   
?? 12???eb??
Yoroshiku! Oyasumi nasal....na hapit diri.  Sayun ra...aw....Sayonara!

Hi Bambi,

Sige, mag-exchange ta ug Japanese ug German lessons. Pero lisod man diri sa TB, sa EB na lang siguro ug madayon puhon.

Japanese is said to be one of the top five difficult languages to learn. You have to memorize at least 1,200 characters (kanji) to be able to read a newspaper article. But the Chinese have to learn about five times more. Pero ang mga Pinoy, dali ra kaayo makat-on. There are about 100,000 Filipinas married to Japanese, and this number is increasing year on year. Would you believe that there are 7,000 Filipinas who marry Japanese every year, at least as of 2006. Since Japanese is the only language spoken, they have to learn it fast, and they do. Spoken lang hinuon. Most are unable to read and write. Wrote about this in http://www.philippinestoday.net/2003/August/onbalance803.htm.

Quote from: grazie7y on November 01, 2007, 12:05:45 AM
Doitashimashite, Benelynne!  Bag o ko dre sa TB so wa pa yata nag abot dre.  I am barely 20-days old.

Arigato, Benelynne san! (with matching vow na ha?)

hi grazie,

nice meeting you... you do bring a whiff of fresh air diri sa TB with your youth and the smell of flowers. if i married at 23, you could already be my daughter.

Quote from: ms da binsi on October 31, 2007, 10:16:43 PM
Benelynne we really miss you...

tingog-tingog pod usahay sir...

Na-exchange nako and da binsi ug bambi. Anyway, this is a happy mistake cuz I got both of your attention. Remember the tarsier lessons? It's only in the tarsier world that three is not a crowd.

Sige, bisag ginagmay lang, magdungaw-dungaw ko diri sa akong bintana sa TB. Gasugod nag tugnaw diri. But it gets warm in the heart with you around.

Quote from: Ginger on October 31, 2007, 10:00:01 PM
Sankyu, Sir Benne.

Doitashimashite.
Welcome. (or Not at all!)

Oyasumi nasai.
Good night.

Am back to my tarsier habit... Makasab-an na pud ko ani.

Quote from: ms da binsi on October 31, 2007, 09:40:36 PM
agutoy...
Aya!!! heeeelp!

Sori kaayo wa baya mi nanglibak ninyo! Anyway, para ni Bambi ug Ginger, who were quickest to respond, let me offer Japanese Lesson 101.

Aisatsu shiyo to omotta kedo...
I was just thinking of greeting you but...

Hajimemashite yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Nice meeting you.

Bohoru ni kaeru yotei ga arimasu ka?
Do you have plans of going home to Bohol?

Itsu ka Tagbiraran de EB demo shimasho ka?
Let's have an EB in Tagbilaran sometime.

Kikai ga areba mata iroiro na hanashi o kikasete kudasai.
If we have a chance, I would be glad to hear about a lot of things from you.

Yoroshiku!
Nice talking! (Or till next time!)

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on October 31, 2007, 04:04:31 PM
Hello,nice to meet you....yoroshiku onegaishimasu!!!!!
Asa man ka sa Japan?..I'm in Nagano now...

Aisatsu shiyo to omotta kedo naunahan lang ko nimo. Hajimemashite yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Nia ko uban akong pamilya sa Ibaraki. Murag layo ra gyud sa Nagano. Una-una siguro gamay ang tugnaw diha. Member ka ba sa Timog Forum (biggest Pinoy forum in Japan)? The founder, Reon, is a good friend. We used to work on some publications together. As you can see, I am always irregular in my forum participation because of my unpredictable schedule.

Did you watch the TV program Sekai Ururun Taizaiki on Channel 6 which featured Bohol's tarsier last October 14 at 10 PM? I was involved in the program as translator during the final stages. Maayo kaayo nga publicity for Bohol. Mudaghan ang mga Hapon nga interesado sa atong paraiso.

Bohoru ni kaeru yotei ga arimasu ka? Itsu ka Tagbiraran de EB demo shimasho ka? Kikai nga areba mata iroiro na hanashi o kikasete kudasai. Yoroshiku!

The TV documentary was finally shown last night, October 14 at 10:15.

As I had mentioned earlier in this thread, it was a great publicity for Bohol. The cute, cuddlesome tarsier has touched the hearts of Japanese. Lito, the sanctuary warden, has also won over the Japanese audience for his passion in protecting the endangered primate endemic to Bohol. I am sure many more Japanese will be interested to visit our beautiful island.

At the end of the program, an appeal for donations was made to the viewing public. Two bank accounts were designated for this purpose. Does anyone know about the organizational setup of the sanctuary? I am just a little concerned that the funds will indeed go towards the upkeep and propagation of the tarsier.

Quote from: Macky Ferniz on October 09, 2007, 01:16:58 AM
By the way, let me guess the answer.
1. Male would initiate mating if you place another female. It would be called "threesome".
2. Calm the tarsier by blowing gently on it's eye.

You got both right!

Quote from: Macky Ferniz on October 07, 2007, 12:48:54 AM
Mr. Benelynne,

Very interesting topic.

I noticed a documentary featured in the National Geographic back in 2004 produced by a Japanese featuring the Civet (Milo or tinggawong) in the Visayas including Bohol. Is this the same person studying our tarsius?

Hi Macky Ferniz,

Actually, the program is more of a travel documentary than a zoological study.

I have already seen the final frames at the studio yesterday, and boy, the scenes of the nighttime tarsier and Bohol landscape are simply amazing. Daku kaayo ni nga publicity para sa Bohol tourism. It will be aired by Tokyo TV on October 14 at 10:00 PM, which is considered a primetime slot still. My kids always watch this docu-quiz show. The TV staff commented that Bohol is by far more beautiful than Cebu, which is more recognizable among the Japanese. The studio people, who did not go to the location, have promised to go visit Bohol. They also promised to give me a DVD copy of the final program.

At the end of the documentary, they are giving the following quizzes for a prize.

Please check out if you could answer (to those who have followed this thread, chicken lang and tubag):

1. When a male  and a female tarsier are put in the same cage, they will not mate. What should be done for mating to happen?

2. How do you calm a tarsier?

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on October 07, 2007, 02:58:08 PM
Hi, musta na Sir Bene!  So that is you in the picture na!!!  Not as cute as the son, but still guapo!   

I also found her post(s) insulting.  She had been hurling all those insults even in previous topics.  She claims that her purpose is to wake people up into action?  Hahahaha!  But I would not bother sending her a direct rebuttal.  For one whose first language is supposedly English (forgive me if I am mistaken), she has a very serious reading comprehension problem.  She has the tendency of twisting other people's words to make it appear the opposite!

I am glad to see your comments ...

Hi proud2B-a-BOJOLANA ,

I have been very busy during the last two weeks, so I just log in to check out topics of interest. I'm glad to see you around again!

Quote from: C2H4 on October 06, 2007, 11:10:56 PM
Natan-awan na nako na nga eksperimento sa Today show, Mr Benelynne. On my part, I think I would prefer looking at naked photos of women, than men. Does that mean I'm gay? living in denial? hahaha

With regards to the tarsiers, why don't we try putting 3 male tarsiers in a cage together? let's see what happens?
If they mate, that would probably mean they're gay, but then again that would be inconclusive, because faced with limited resources, males will find a way to copulate, e.g. men in prison having sex, not necessarily gay, but without women, they'll stick their hotrods in any hole they could find...

Hala, ms da binsi ug C2H4, mura na jud tag mga tarsiers ani--nocturnal animals. It's already 12:30 AM in my territory. Kitang 3 na lang nahabilin aning orasa, 1 male and 2 females, but can't make a choice because you are both cyberspaces away. But I want to assure you I do not have a sexual identity crisis! It's really nice exchanging notes with both of you, ladies. Till tomorrow or next time... Muambak na ko sa katre!

Quote from: ms da binsi on October 06, 2007, 11:00:01 PM

Benelyn ug na tarsan pa pod ko i dont have to wait for the male to snob me.... i would grab him right away..

but you know what?? why is it always female has to wait??? even filipino women... bisan nag kurog na di gyud mo initiate ug move...

see??? similar ra ta sa mga tarsan...

You're right. Women don't have to stay in the shadows and wait for men to make the first move. Some men, like the male tarsier, are shy. You really have to grab them to get them. (Can't remember how my wife got me, but I am honestly very shy.)

Related to the question of C2H4 kung unsay basis sa selection of the female tarsier by the male tarsier, I suspect it's the odor. You see, odor plays an important role in tarsier communication. The male tarsier marks its territory through its urine odor. The female, when it is won over by the male, marks her mate with the odor from her circumoral gland located around her mouth.

Akong tan-aw even female tarsiers don't just wait for the male but send some sort of feelers through their odor para pud sila mapansin.

So women don't have to lose their pagkamahinhin in pursuit of the love of their life. Use your natural feminine fragrance, radiance, smile, grace... and if the man you like also really likes you, I am sure he will respond in kind.

Kung male tarsier pa, iyang ihian ang teritoryo.

Quote from: C2H4 on October 06, 2007, 10:43:51 PM
Thanks, Mr Bennelyne.

Basin from that wikipedia source, murag mas related siguro ang tarsier sa lemurs.

PS. Sir, sa imong avatar, mura ka'g sa Gardo Versoza.

This photo shows me me at 23. Now I'm 43.

Lifespan sa tarsier 20, lifespan sa akong buhok 20.

Quote from: ms da binsi on October 06, 2007, 10:15:55 PM
did they only experimented one male tarsan? or more...

kay basi bayut to sha... it would be a big break???


like pinguins naa nay na discover nga gay...

john would prefer to stay with jack instead of jill...

ms da binsi,

Di jud nimo madawat ang pang-isnab sa male species of the female species ha! Kung na-tarsier pa ka ms da binsi, I am sure di jud ka maisnab ug ambakan dajun ka sa male tarsier.

Speaking of which, do you know that the US military has discovered that a person's sexual orientation (straight o gay) can be determined by eye retinal movement when shown naked photos of either sex as visual stimulus?

Pero di nato ni masuwayan sa tarsier kay fixed man ilang eyeballs--di mulihok. So it's difficult to judge kung gay ba siya o hard to get lang ju.

Quote from: C2H4 on October 06, 2007, 10:13:59 PM
Mr Bennelyne,

unsa nga category sa mammal ang tarsier?

they've often been mistakenly labeled as 'the smallest monkey in the world', when in fact, they're not monkeys (monkies?) at all.

Di ra ba ko zoologist by academic background. So I just checked out Wikipedia which says tarsiers belong to class mammalia and order primates. Wikipedia explains further: A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the last category including humans.

Pariente ra sa mga monkey ug apes--ug sa tawo. Busa naa jud similarity ang behavior sa ato. In fact, Lito, the sanctuary person-in-charge shows in this program that what the tarsier eats, human beings can eat as well. Lito ate crickets, beetles and grasshoppers.

Quote from: Bohol on October 06, 2007, 09:43:48 PM
Bene, kining male tarsier diay "dili makuha sa tingin." bisan daghan mokidhat nija nga female tarsier, molingiw lang diay ni kay namili ug the best nga kapanibaan.

The tarsier is one of the smallest mammals in the world, only 4 to 6 inches in height, but is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest eyes on a mammal. (Wikipedia)

Daku man kaajo ang mata, busa di maka-excuse nga "love is blind." Bisan siguro daghan mokidhat nga female tarsier, mulurat lang kay fixed man ang eyeballs.

Quote from: ms da binsi on October 06, 2007, 12:41:10 PM
Gi pakita man ganina sa National Geographic Benelyn nga ang mga male animals dili ang mamili kundi ang babaye...
mao bitaw na ang typical male animals maoy attractive (birds, dogs, lions, peacock, frogs etc) kay sila man ang mo dani sa girls.. and girls has to choose kinsa ilang ma attract sexually...

i dont know sa tarsan ninjo, ug mao ba pod...

meaning si tarsan nga gi butngan ug duha ka gurls dili attractive kay wa man maka hala...

or basi gay to sha...

ms da binsi,


Mga 180-degrees mad gud ug lingo ang male tarsier (unlike other animal species) busa siguro mas mutan-aw sa sija ug daghan nga choices bag-o mupili. Sad to say, in the tarsier world, mas hard-to-get ang lake.

In the human world, ang lake nga attention-getter ug attractive ang feathers (like the peacock) are sometimes the gay ones.

Quote from: Hajji on October 06, 2007, 01:11:29 PM
unique jud diay siguro ning mga male species (human or animals) sa bohol.

Kung mao ni ang conclusion nimo Haj, the pure Boholano may be destined for extinction as well.

Kay pilian man kaajo ang tarsier ug baje unja daghan pa ug natural and human predators, busa ang reproductive rate cannot keep with the mortality rate.

That explains why many of our Boholana fair ladies are marrying with foreigners--but for love and not for $ (as Precious claims). Daku nga reason ang pagkapilian sa mga Bol-anon nga lake.  We are choosing ourselves to extinction.

Quote from: Hajji on October 06, 2007, 12:10:58 PM
pati sad diay tarsier naay love triangle

Haj,

Male tarsiers also remain virgins by choice if they do not like the female around them. (See #10)

Quote from: teng on October 06, 2007, 11:14:38 AM
shy bitaw jud ang tarsier......pareha mi

Survey lang ni teng. Pareha ba pud mo sa #10 item?

Let me share a few of the things I learned from the full-length documentary on the tarsier that I translated into Japanese for a primetime TV program to be aired sometime this month in Japan. In the program, a Japanese actress had a five-day homestay with the family of Lito who is in charge of the Tarsier sanctuary.

1. The local term for the tarsier is Maumag (as in "maumag ikaw")

2. The word tarsier is derived from the word "tarsus" which refers to "proximal segment of the foot" or "tarsal" which refers to the bone or joint of the foot.

3. The tarsier can rotate its neck 180 degrees.

4. Unlike the human eyes, the tarsier's eyeballs do not move so they have to rotate their neck to see objects to their side. (Imagine tarsiers having an EB covering themselves with--leaves, of course.)

5. Tarsiers are extremely shy and when cornered by bigger animals or humans, bang their head on hard surfaces and hold their breath in an act similar to suicide.

6. People used to believe that tarsiers feed on charcoal. That's because they frequent the kaingin and have been seen by kaingeros to clamp charcoal between their teeth. But Lito explained that tarsiers frequent the kaingin because one or two weeks after the field is burned, new lush green grasses grow which attract crickets and other small insects that tarsiers feed on. Kaingeros who saw tarsiers biting on charcoal were seeing their reaction of fright at predators--as they bite on anything, including a captor's hands, when cornered.

7. Tarsiers live from 20 to 25 years in their natural habitat. They live at most 7 to 10 years in captivity.

8. Tarsiers mark their territory with a strong body odor (neither cologne nor perfume, I suppose).

9. An effective way to pacify a frightened or flustered tarsier is to blow their eyes gently and fondle them on the back. Lito says this also works for other pets and animals. This also works for upset or colicky babies. You can try this on your partner as well. (Does this work on anyone? Somebody says blowing your partner's ears works better.)

10. If you put a male and a female tarsier in a cage, they will not copulate. You have to give the male tarsier two female tarsiers to choose from and then the male will initiate mating behavior with one of the female partners. (To the pairless TB members, does this seem like human behavior? Let's ask Sigbin II for an enlightened, not instinctual, answer.)

Quote from: Mari on October 05, 2007, 01:36:23 AM

Mari,

Some faces are meant for the backstage, some are meant to upstage.

Poster ra akong gihuna-huna, ang uban billboard na dayon. Why not? Iuban nato sa beutification project sa Bohol.

Quote from: Bohol on October 05, 2007, 12:24:28 AM


Ang bulak ni Mari nga namunga ug mga balak ni GEC.

This looks perfect for a Bohol poster! Mari, mudaghan jud ang turista sa Bohol, kapin na ang mga Hapon. They love anything and anyone cute--Chocolate Hills, Tarsier, Panglao and now...this!

Ang banner sa taas, in line with DOT's international promo, WOW BOHOL!

Quote from: Mari on October 04, 2007, 10:23:14 PM
it was really amazing to know melrose remembered me at the fiesta when we were not acquaintances yet. more amazin is the dress, she just remembered me

I am not surprised that anyone who sees you the first time remembers you forever. You have my vote as Ms. Tubag Bohol. How many more can we count? Too bad my son's too young for you--only 14 the other day. But I'll put in his vote as well.

Just looking at the sunny side of things, a forum that does not attract any fuss at all is languishing from lack of attention and page views.

This incident simply shows that TB has arrived. Someone simply wants to upstage the dramatic entrance. But with you around, Mike, this mishap is simply a prelude to grander things.

Yes, let's pick up the lessons and move on.

Quote from: Bohol on October 03, 2007, 10:25:27 PM

But this morning, Google removed more than a thousand pages of Tubag Bohol in its search index. I thought all those periods were sort of fun and style. I failed to monitor that one of us was deleting threads and comments replacing them with a single period. I should drink more coffee so I could keep a constant eye on our Tubag Bohol.

Google was penalizing Tubag Bohol. Why would Google keep a page of a website with a singe period on it? Simple logic. So Google was also deleting pages of Tubag Bohol. And we cannot afford this to go on. We need high volume of pages being indexed by Google. We want Boholanos to find us among millions of websites and meet us here and join us in sharing thoughts and feelings as we retrace our roots and heritage.

It was a painful decision, but it was the only option we have. I had to delete the account of a member and removed all the posts with a single period.

More than 1,200 posts were deleted, 300 of which came from the question: "Are All Politicians Prostitutes?"

Perhaps the culprit has a poetic message that we didn't get. Put a period to a debate that's heating up beyond normal temperature and temperament. Too bad Google doesn't appreciate it either.

I've always had the hunch that a thread that starts with name-calling will end up in something personal.

I guess moderators should be given more authority to step in when exchanges in threads are getting out of hand. But first, we need a comprehensive set of rules.

Hi David,

So you have not really stepped on Bohol soil yet? I think it would be good to come visit and check out our beautiful island before you make any decision. We'll be happy to live with you here. The people here at Tubag Bohol, I hope, show traits representative of Bohol's small-town hospitality. I myself spent only my childhood in Bohol and moved to Mindanao, then Manila, then overseas. But Bohol stands out among all the places I've been to. I am also planning to move back--partly--to Bohol in the near future. More next time.

Hi Mike,

I am still in limbo as to the cause of the interruption, and I hate second-guessing the culprit/s. Apparently, there was an intention to sabotage this fastest-growing web circle hereabouts. It means TB has arrived. Too bad the perpetrator not only rocked the boat but also threatened to sink it.

Anyway, I would like to suggest that you dedicate a prominent space for our house rules, preferably as a single post--covering ethical, linguistic, technical and other concerns. Sometimes we make mistakes out of innocence or ignorance, or simply poor judgment. I know it's stupid to post an all-punctuation-marks message, but I didn't know it could be so bad as to jeopardize the web operation. It would be good if we have some clear set of rules to check ourselves against occasionally. We might miss out on the piecemeal reminders that you give from time to time.

People can post their questions, clarifications and complaints as the occasion arises. I enjoy immensely all the jokes here, but sometimes I feel that some items are better said than posted. The party still goes on, as long as we follow the rules.