Random Thoughts On Good Friday

Just sitting around on Good Friday of Holy Week  and a few things come to mind . Like , is anything open today ? Well , pity the poor soul that ran out of bread and beer , or whatever .   :-) Though i am sure there is an exception or two , not many .

And , speaking of  holidays why is it that major grocery store chains don't bother to update their web sites in  regards to their hours of operation during holidays ? Even more intriguing is why at least  some of these same grocery store chains don't have numbers in the telephone book .  :-)

You will have to excuse this " old goats " foreign heritage but Business 101 suggests that the first thing you do when running a business is make yourself available to the general public as they are all potentials customers .

 Granted , Marketing to most Filipinos is one of those stores that sells a little bit of everything but you would think business owners would know something about advertising . On second thought that would mean using that new fangled thing called the internet or actually answering e - mail queries .   :-)

Sitting here thinking one of the few benefits of old age and retirement is not having to travel during Holy Week in this country . Many have no choice of course as their work schedules may be subject to the Holidays but jeez have you seen the crowds at transportation centers ? Makes me kind of think of an ant farm or something .

Our neighbourhood is pretty much like a 4 day Sunday though our friends across the street do provide a soda pop , etc if we holler at um . Good thing cause the biggest issue here is lack of public transport . Truth is the one mile trek to the highway is to far for this " old goat " to traverse even if he had somewhere to go .

On the positive side it is a bit quieter than usual except for the chickens of course who apparently don't observe holidays . Or the little ones whose families stayed in town and like to use our driveway slant outside the gate as an Evil Knievel launch pad . And pity the dog that loves kids but has trouble dealing with the eye poking and tail yanking routines .   :-)

Still debating on whether to do the early am street cleanup daily or just let it go till Monday and hope the wind blows it all down the street to the neighbours corner . Just kidding as i do respect mother Earth and besides she's the best deal in town . Gives me free air , water and food ( ok , strike the last two ) .

 Now , if i could just get the neighbourhood dogs to quit pooping on the real grass outside the gate cause apparently they don't cotton to the artificial stuff next door . Come to think of it , expect i wouldn't find that particularly appealing to my butt either .   :-)

Maybe a walk is in order this am before the heat starts . Just have to wear the rubber soled shoes as in case i miss step and land in the chewing gum , dog dung along the way . I sincerely believe that a " pooper scooper " would be considered an alien life form device in this culture but there is rumour that a dog pound truck is in the works . Or , maybe that's in the parallel Philippine Universe .   :-)

No matter , cause it is what it is . Happy Holiday Folks whatever that means for you .

The Juice Debate

Pepsi Distribution

Coca-Cola Distribution

Ok , so maybe the subject of orange juice drinks is not high on your list of Philippine ruminations but it does have me wondering . Why is it that a country with a tropical climate does not make orange juice ? Or , for that matter grape juice or some of the other flavours ?Has me wondering for two primary reasons .

 First , growing up in the southeastern part of the US and having lived in Florida where you could just go out and pick oranges and grapefruits off the tree for breakfast , i love orange juice .  Secondly , i happened to be at a local " old goat " hangout when the Pepsi truck off loaded a case of 8 oz. Tropicana Twisters product .

I ended up taking a case of theTropicana home for a tryout with basically mixed results . It is not " exactly " what i was looking for but i like it for what it is . And what it is  means an orange juice drink with vitamins A , C and E and having a bit of a tart tangy taste . Total cost was 248 pesos but 58 of that was deposit on case and bottles .

Now , should i decide to purchase in the future and return the case and bottles the next case price drops to 190 pesos . So , the actual drink itself sells for about 8 pesos per bottle at the wholesale rate though i certainly have no problem with the retailer marking up a bit for profit .

Bottom line for me is it's a pretty good deal and certainly beats buying soft drinks which have no nutritional benefit and according to medical literature are one of the plagues of the modern world .   :-) Many soft drinks have caffeine of course while the juice drinks don't and lots less sugar as a rule than soft drinks .

So , that's my experience with the Pepsi product to date and in all fairness there are other juice flavours available under this brand that i have not tried yet . Which brings me to the next product shown , the Minute Maid brand . I have tried this one and find it to be the closest thing to being real orange juice i can find .

I have not seen this particular product off loaded anywhere while i was present so haven't had the chance to purchase in comparable size container . I have purchased in large grocery store chains in the larger sizes which come in plastic . In essence , i don't know how many different sizes are available of this product in this country much less in Cagayan de Oro pastures .

I did discover that Coca - Cola FEMSA Philippines was incorporated in just Jan. of 2013 when it purchased 51 % of Coca - Cola bottlers , Philippines from Coca - Cola International . Don't know , nor much care , who FEMSA is but my guess would have it belonging to one of 4 family power groups of the Philippines .   :-)

So , why doesn't the Philippines produce it's own juices and primarily import from Thailand and elsewhere ? Is it because oranges can't be grown here ? Based on a little research that is not the answer for oranges or grapes . Some suggest it's lack of demand but if that were the case would Pepsi and Coca - Cola be selling it ?

Some say it's because Thailand is just better at producing these kinds of products . There may some degree of truth in that when one is reminded of the rice issue and the fact that the Philippines has to import it from Thailand and other locations despite having basically the same type of climate as Thailand .

Rumbling " old goats " won't ever solve any of these mysteries of course but i am hopeful that such products as the ones highlighted will become more available in the not to distant future . I mean , geez , breakfast without OJ would be kind of like a Philippine meal without rice .   :-)

Have You Ever Wondered ?

 Living just next door to " Who Would Have Thunk It " is " Have You Ever Wondered " . They are good buddies as " Old Goats go and are frequently seen ruminating together . Just the other day " Have You Ever Wondered " was asking " Who Would Have Thunk It " some of these questions .

Does anyone ever fall off these things ( the jeepney above ) ? Why do taxi operators get significant rate increases and jeepney and tricycle drivers get 1 peso  when far more folks rides the latter two ? Have you ever seen a policeman give a traffic ticket to someone " not " involved in an  accident  or to a  jeepney driver who can least afford to pay them?

Why do public transportation vehicles have to stop for gas so frequently and on the passengers time rather than when empty of passengers ? And why is it that jeepneys and vans have to do the " Charlie Tuna " thing and put 16 into a vehicle designed for 12 or completely disregard seating capacity in the first place ? 

How do you get issued a drivers license without proving that you know how to drive and is  knowing how to park only required in western countries ? Does anyone here use antifreeze/coolant except foreigners ? Have you ever wondered if anyone besides you has never seen a stop sign here and is this the only place where sidewalks are not for walking ?   :-)

How can a Save More grocery owned by S & M tell you they can't get whatever the product is you wish to purchase when you can  buy it at an S & M or another chain in other cities especially when these where a bouts are known as a " port city " . And why is lettuce grown in Mindanao shipped to Manila , then back to CDO when it all goes through CDO's port in the first place ? Banana Ketchup ?

Has anyone besides " Have You Ever Wondered " had a credit or debit card rejected when purchasing a transportation ticket because the bank that issues the card was a family name that the transport owner family didn't like ( I'm not making this stuff up folks )  :-) How come money trees only grow in western cultures and have you ever gotten strange looks when you tell someone you have to put money in the bank in order to get it out of an atm ?

Does the Philippines have more official "  holidays " than any other country on the planet ? Ever wonder why in a country where most of the newspapers are in English and the tv shows have multiple subtitles you can't find Philippine news in English on tv in a city this size ? Why do subdivisions have street signs but addresses go by block and lot numbers ?

 Why are blackouts called brownouts ? Had an electric company engineer tell me one time it was only a blackout if the whole city lost power and a brown out when only part of the city lost power .  :-) Why do subdivisions use standard light bulbs that burn 24 hrs a day  instead of timed devices based on ambient light ? ( you know the answer ) .

Is it just me or does anyone else have a closet full of tie  dyed look clothes cause the person doing the laundry uses bleach on everything ?  Does anyone in your family have over 1, 200 pics stored on Facebook ? For that matter what does it mean when the Philippines has the highest concentration of Facebook users in the world while having one of the lowest internet usages in the world ?   :-)

And last but not least , is the ad i saw on tv imploring folks to sign up to become the first Philippine astronaut for real or a bad marketing idea ? And , for Pete's sake ... is Chris Aquino " really " resigning from showbiz ?

Who Would Have Thunk It - part 2

Yeah , for sure i feel just like this guy at times and expect many other " old goats " have and do as well . There are of course many different approaches to dealing with " that's just the way it is here " as far as expat goats are concerned . Some just grin and bear it , some make a run to the drug store for an additional supply of BP medication and most probably fit somewhere between the two approaches .

The grin and bear it routine works best when observing things that don't effect you personally of course like the person that drops their trash on the payment or ground instead of walking the required two feet to the trash container staring at them .  :-) Or , the person in the grocery store check out lane with a basket full of stuff in the " 10 items or less line " .

Then there's  the constant traffic going the wrong way on a one way street while the cop stands on the corner and ignores ( common in certain parts of this here pasture ) . Then there are the panhandlers or beggars . All pastures have them of course and like most sometimes i donate and sometimes i don't . The dont's tend to be because it's the same ones day after day or the women hauling around the new born for months that never seems to grow any .   :-)

For certain there is a great deal of poverty in these pastures despite the numbers the government trots out about the Philippine GDP , inflation rate , etc . What those articles never seem to mention is the income disparity numbers in which last time i looked the Philippines excelled . And why is it that these pastures seem to be the only ones in Asia that have to import rice ? A recent article suggests it cheaper for local co - ops to smuggle in contraband rice than it is to grow their own .

Still trying to figure out how it is that there are so many high dollar vehicles out there when the average income is said to be so low and so few have bank accounts . Must be one of them there unanswerable questions like the chicken and the egg thingy .    :-) Speaking of chickens do they all appear to be undernourished just to me or is it because the locals just like smaller chickens ?

There are some scratch yer head things that are more related to the particular neighbourhood pasture you reside in as well . In the subdivision pasture i happen to reside in i wonder why it is that you get charged 5 pesos if you come home in a taxi but nothing when coming home in a tricycle .

 Or , why it is the guy on your street has multiple vehicles but still insists on hanging his garbage from the fence post in a plastic bag . He can't afford the outdoor trash can ( plastic ) much less the plastic liners , no doubt .   :-) Or , maybe it's because all the locals know that the guy that has the plastic container is a foreigner and he's rich .   :-)

Then too , foreign goats are known to do really weird things like use a rake instead of a bundle of sticks to clean the yard , a saw to cut a limb instead of a machete or if really rich a lawn mower to cut grass instead of a pair of hedge clippers . Guilty , well minus the mower part but i can't justify paying electric mower prices for push mowers . And , while we at it how come the locals can make a jeepney but not a push mower ?

Then there's the one that bugs me to no end cause i have it . Why do builders plant trees smack on the property line separating houses and as close to where the fence will go as possible ? Trees don't have roots that spread here ?   :-) And the best or worst one yet to date - the water line that someone put a concrete drive way over . Still , trying to sort through this one .

Come to think of it , i need to make a trip to the drug store as the BP meds are running low .  :-) 

Links of Interest

For some reason or another Blogger is having a bad day in these pastures as it seems unable or unwilling to provide the links to Facebook and other locations to a new Page that was created on this here blog . The new page is listed at the top left of the blog as " Links of Interest " .

If you stop by the " Goat Farm " for a visit , by all means , click on that page title for additional sites that may be of interest to you . All links will be verified and have permissions from the owners so it will take a bit of time for them to go up . Come to think of it " you reckon Mr. Google is upset about the cartoon " and that's the reason i am having issues ?   NAH !!!     :-)

Who Would Of Thunk It - Part 1

No , it ain't a goat but old Wiley reflects the general theme for the day .

In addition to sharing with the goating community in general the lay of the pasture in these here parts this “ old goat “ will also from time to time be posting articles that are of a more “ every day “ living variety in the form of questions and answers , but mostly questions .

 Goats bred in foreign pastures tend to accumulate lots of questions through the years in regards to their current pasture locations . Roaming about i got to wondering about a number of things about these here pastures that i suppose all fit within that politically correct box called " culture " or " social milieu " . We will just call it - " who would of thunk it " .   :-)

Most of these head scratchers tend to revolve around simple everyday issues that the domestic goat seems to take for granted and the foreign goat tends to experience as unusual or even downright weird if you know what I mean . Some will reflect cultural issues of a national nature and some just local pastures. 

 

Can start about anywhere but a piece in the news lately comes to mind . Newspaper says only about 4 out of every 10,000 local or domestics have a bank account . Now , I know this is known as a cash based society but how is it that bank lines can have the entire quota of account holders for a city all in the bank at the same time ? 

 

Well , maybe because half of them aren't there to actually bank but to pay a bill . And , it ain't just the bank . I have gotten ticket # 123 before when stopping by to pay the power bill or # 62 to pay the TV cable when the cable office couldn't hold 62 people . :-) Speaking of bills why does it take longer to receive a PLDT bill from Manila than one from half way around the world ?  :-)

Seems part of the answer is it might sit in the local post office for days waiting for the motorbike or bicycle dude to ride out . Maybe something to do with conservation . Maybe the carrier pigeon from Manila decided to stop over somewhere cause by the time I get my notice it's already “ past due “ . On the other hand , PLDT can threathen to cut off my service within 24 hrs so at least something moves faster here . :-) 

 

Ever wonder why some businesses shut down for 2 hr lunches and everybody goes at the same time ? I mean this ain't Mexico where siesta is mandatory or Egypt where the bong brigade starts up . Then there is that wonderful experience known as “ Philippine Time “ where everybody seems to have a bad watch or else have slipped into a parallel universe .   :-)

And , while we at it how come the manger is “ never in “ ? Or , one of my favourites “ sorry sir , out of stock “ or “ no change “ . Always thought running a business meant you had to have change or being out of stock meant you lost sales . How is it that a grocery store chain owned by a billionaire never has centavos ( like a penny ) and they want to know if you can go without . Well , maybe that's one of the reasons the owners a billionaire .   :-) 

Ever been to the grocery , had the bag boy roll your cart out and refuse a tip ? Ever just dropped it on the payment and said " wait till the cab pulls off " . When is the last time someone actually pumped the gas into your vehicle , even if it was only $ 2 worth ? Or , put air in your tires for you while sweating like a stuffed , well you know . See , here you was thinking it was only gonna be bad stuff . 

As Porky used to say... " that's all folks " , for now . But we just getting started so drop back by and sit a spell .  

 

 

Limketkai Mall - Part 2

Coffee Anyone ?

One of the foremost goat addictions has to be the coffee curse especially among senior citizens ( politically correct ) or " old goats " ( goat lingo ) . Remember heading to work in the am back state side and stopping at the local McDoo drive thru for a take out . The joint inside was always packed with the senior goat variety kicking the can . 

Fortunately KL has some first class java stopovers starting with the international brand above . Now , you may find some minor flaws in a Starbucks flavour here compared to one in Seattle but rule of thumb is they are consistent with their quality no matter the location . And it ain't just the coffee as you can see below .

Sinful

Another well known coffee haunt located along the Rosario Arcade walk and in front of  Jerry's Grill is the one above . Said to be a home grown establishment it's a real favourite for the obvious reasons as well as the Wi - Fi .

While on the subject of coffee i will state that this here " old goat " has not seen , nor does he wish to sample ,  the famous/infamous brand of bean known as the civet . Said to be the beans of coffee berries once they have been eaten and excreted by theAsian Palm Civet it's more formal name is Kopi luwak .  

Part of my decided prejudice against consuming this brand of bean is some rather distasteful practices said to be occurring to the creature that formulates this stuff while being caged and force fed coffee beans , not to mention outrageous prices . Said to be the most expensive coffee in the world at $700 per kilogram in the US though in the Philippines it goes for " only " $20 a kilogram or so .   :-)

Enough about coffee but do need to mention this relatively new stopover as i had an expat goat tell me he eats there every trip to Manilla and that's good enough for me . Very popular with the Philippine domestic goat variety as it is well suited for the large clan .

 Just a looking at some of this sumptuous i definitely gotta get by there next trip .

Yeah , them too...

Ok ,a mention of an eating place reached by the stairwell , back side of the mall or from within the mall itself known as Countryside Steak  House .

A bit of old  wild west flavour is present but me having tripped that part of the US a lot i felt right at home here . Only caveat is that sometimes they will not have a particular cut of beef you might want as theirs comes from Australia but they will tell you up front .

Now , if the feller above happens to be one of your favourites this stopover is the place to rest up and have a glass or two . Can personally recommend the sirloin and the NY strip . If they are out of stock , grin and bear it and next time take Tonto with you .   :-)

Can't  leave the Rosario Arcade walk around without a mention of a fine dining establishment that offers a bit of an upscale dining experience complete with a deli . Owned and operated by a European chef and his wife of local roots it offers something a tad unique for goats in need of same .

http://www.lavetta.com.ph/

Some Familiar Faces

As mentioned this " old goat " don't get around as much as some of the others so anyone wishing to add comment regarding the establishments mentioned in this LK walk around might be helpful . Oh , and before i forget a complete listing of what's available at this mall venue can be had via this link :  


http://www.limketkaicenter.com/index.php

Hope to see ya on a walk around !!!

                                                                                                                                                                                  

Limketkai Mall (LK)- Part 1

Map Courtesy of Robinsons 

Built in 92 ( 1992 not 1892 ) this has been my favourite mall spot to graze through the years . Truth is the stores inside the mall are pretty much the same ones in the other mall pastures . As to why you need  the same thing in two or three locations within  a mile or two of each other i have no idea .

Don't matter anyway since most of what i like about this pasture is what's around it rather than in it . Fact is , bout every time i go visit this pasture there's some new point to stop and kick cans at . But , best thing i like is the outdoor cafe settings at various place where one can sit back and drink a cold one while having a butt . Makes for interesting goat watching too .   :-)

 Yeah , the corporate logos are here and the atm's nearby will allow you to fuel your walk around . Morning ,  noon or night there's always a stopover just around the corner . Nearby , are some i have sampled through the years with varying results . A favourite am location for expat goats is the Missy Bon Bon .

A coffee and a pastry at this location along with just kicking the can with fellow expat goats is a must if in the area on a Wednesday am . Just around the corner from Ronald McDonald it's a good start for the walk around . 

If for no other reason than to take a photo or two for the folks back home P. Joe's Diner is a must stopover . As an American goat reminds me a bit of the old 50's James Dean or Easy Rider  kind of place . Nuting ( southern for nothing )  fancy but will definitely tickle your nostalgia bone .

A favourite for Philippine goats of all ages some love it and some just find it so so  . Based on my experience i guess i would fall into the so so camp but with a bit of a caveat . I happened to order the " ribs " for which they are supposedly famous but didn't find the bucket to be full enough for my taste .

In all fairness that's probably due to this old goat growing up in the southern US where ribs meant you better wear your bib overalls cause so as not to get q'sauce all over your good un's ( southern for Sunday going to meeting clothes ) . Where i is from you don't see the bottom of the plate till you dun got sauce a running down your elbows and you only on your first go round .

Just ta show ye i ain't a joking.. 

 Again , in fairness i have learned through the years that a serving size in the Philippine pasture is like comparing the sandbox to the beach . Probably not a bad thing given that yanks tend to be overly robust but it wasn't just the ribs . It was also the " fixings " , ya know . I mean , nothing against rice but ribs to this old goat require tater salad , fries , corn on the cob or at least something besides what i eat at home all the time .   :-)

In fairness , Bigby's ribs were tender and tasty but bout the size of my finger and why they called that sauce BB'Q i  ain't sure since i am certain they bought it in the ketchup section of the grocery . All , which means you just gonna have to try Bigby's out for yerself ( southern for yourself ) . But , i would think twice about the Q'.   :-)

      

This place probably had the best pizza in town for a good while though i am told that's changed with the new mall pasture but more about that pasture later .Tried the chicken wings one time and didn't have the heart to tell um to send the chicken back to it's mother cause it ain' grown up yet but that's another story . Speaking of stories we will pick this one up in LK - part 2 cause right now i hear the lunch bell clanking .

 

 

                                                                                                                    

Goat Malling ( Not Mauling )

Not wishing to be disingenuous ( politically correct ) or less than candid ( goat correct ) i will state up front that this " old goat " is not big on hanging out in shopping malls or malling as they say . Growing up in the American pasture we had lots of them of course but like many male goats you went to a mall if you had too .   :-)

Speaking in generalities here but based on this goats experience males go shopping to buy something and women go shopping to look for hours and " maybe " buy something .  :-) Well , you can just throw that description out the window here in the Philippines because  hanging out at a mall in this pasture can border on being an occupation .   :-) 

Since this is an opinion piece i will opinionate ( goat word ) fully realizing that yours ( opinion ) may be different that mine . Yes , malls offer lots of shopping venues at one location though some argue that it might as well be different locations with all the walking one does . No need to mention the distance from the parking lot to the mall may require a tram ticket , at least in some cultures . 

Parking distance to the stores is not such a big issue in these mall pastures as many folks here arrive as Charlie Tuna ( packed into a sardine like vehicle where the rule of thumb is if it's designed for 12 cram 16 in it ) .  :-) So , why the muss and fuss to go wear out your footwear in the first place ? Because there are two things certain about Philippine pastures .

Goats born into this culture of all ages , but especially the young ones ,  have an insatiable desire to " see , and be seen " . Might call it the cultures method of " kicking the can " . Don't much matter if you buy anything cause it's got it's own air - con , lots of pretty goats strolling around and  should you choose to spend you certainly can without to much trouble .

All of which leads up to the reason for this post in  the first place : providing some more goat locations nearby where one can go to kick the can . Be  advised , however , that being an " old goat " not being particularly mall obsessed my personal experience is limited . I will , however , provide you with some links so as you can go look for yourself .

Next Post i will share some observations starting  with my favourite mall pasture Limketkai  .    

Goat Hangouts - Part 2

Kingston Lodge Hotel

Another favourite hang out for this "old goat" is the Kingston Lodge Hotel . Just click on the link above to see what this pasture has to offer and trust me , it's quite a lot . Though open for business for any and all it has become a favourite for many goats in general and "old goats" in particular . Many events are scheduled but one of the best is the weekly expat gathering on Wednesdays .

Beverages are discounted and the food menu offers ample choice for local cuisine or foreign flavours . Stands to reason as the owner is a "mate" goat from Aussie land and a chef by profession .  Plenty of opportunity to kick the can with all kinds of imported goats . Throw a dart or bash a billiard around the table if ya like but main thing is just have a good graze . Book and Video loaners available for those who are so inclined .

Staff is top notch and with so much attention to detail that it's the only pasture i ever grazed in where the butt cans weren't allowed to overflow . A first class facility without the dress up requirement or the automatic  tax and tip added to the bill . And for those "old goats" that might be inclined to empty a few to many there are rooms available but best to make those arrangements in advance .

Kings International Delicatessen & Bakery

One of the best things about this pasture is it's close proximity to the lodge . Just down the road a bit it has the best dang bread this side of ... where , wherever you hale from . Owned by a " bloke " goat and his other it's the place to go when looking for import eats of all kinds whether fresh ,, bottled or canned .

 My favourites are the sandwich fixings and especially the cheeses but no matter where you hail from  you will find something you will want to take back to your home pasture .This pasture also has a food and wine bar adjacent serving from breakfast till...

 If in a rush you can order ahead on - line and have your fixings ready when you come by just in case you have other pastures to roam . Click on the link above for location and have a look at their extensive selections in both the deli and the bar .

Water Supply - Under Construction

Life here in these islands is not all sunshine and kicking cans as this old goat was reminded this morning . Had a visit from a rep from the realty company that owns this here subdivision . Seems they have a bit of concern as to why our water bill is now 5,000 pesos when the bill was just paid two days ago .   :-)

Well , i knew we had a small leak in one of the bathrooms but , damn , we don't own a swimming hole .  :-) Turns out there is a major leak somewhere in the main line that runs from the street to the house or from the drive way to the bathrooms themselves . Now , the real fun starts as this ain't a conventional water line routing .

Seems that somewhere along the line one of those decidedly Filipino decisions occurred which might never come to the mind of a westernized goat . That would of course be laying a concrete driveway over the water line to the house . Never mind the fact that materials used in these pastures tend to not be designed for trouble free operation ... as in , cheaper is " always " better .

Well , we opted for the temporary fix of installing a cut off valve at the street side water meter and fixing the small leak in the one bathroom . Not much damage for that fix up but the long term problem is definitely gonna have to be discussed with the owner of this here pasture as our water bill is now approaching rent status .

Come to think of it the dang San Miguel Grande also shot up from 60 to 90 peso overnight due to the " sin tax " . Fact is , it's just getting harder for old goats to find a place to hang out and ruminate these days . Hoping you are having a better one .  :-)