you used to be alright

the macarthur post

i’ve always liked the philippines.

even before i knew where it was, i took genny koh to my high school senior year prom, and the dining commons at cal was serving up unknown to be, yet delightful sour, sweet and savory concoctions like chicken adobo. actually, it wasn’t like they were serving full filipino menus – the only filipino food they ever served was chicken adobo. (and boy did they serve chicken adobo – i think it was on the menu at least once a week)

so while i was working in hong kong from 1999 through 2002, and having to spend 1-2 weeks at a time traipsing through the various shopping malls of the philippines (mainly metro manila, but also going out to the provinces once in a while) it became one of my favorite memories of my working life. a population that loves that much 80s pop, shopping malls and basketball can only be involved in good things.

and so it with a place and a people who, while poor, showed so much joy in life and so much love towards pork (seriously, I’m a Cantonese guy who thinks that food begins and ends with char siu – and I think the Filipinos have me beat) – that I fell a little bit in love with the country, even becoming a little bit of a fake filipino myself with filipino friends in houston and hong kong and shanghai.

so when my friend tony asked me if i wanted to go to manila (for free!) and stay (for free!) and golf (not for free – but who cares!) – well it was a pretty quick answer.

while shanghai suffered under the heaviest rain of the last 70 years, tony and i were launching golf balls into places where even our caddies couldn’t find, eating plate after plate of sisig, grilled tuna belly, pancit canton, and all manner of chicken (well except chicken adobo – both tony and i got our fill at cal).

i came to a big realization – china is where everything is happening, and the economy is taking off, and my work is going to be for the medium term future, but i had a lot more fun hanging out in much poorer and just as head-scratchingly aggravating country (case in point – 90% of the businesses air-side at NAIA Terminal 2 – including goldilocks bakery, the massage business and the magazine stand . . . however the only atm machine is not only ground side – it’s on the outside – OUTSIDE of the terminal!). people are nicer, yes, that’s one thing, but people are just having more fun. my friend colin said it’s just easier to be around people who are comfortable being themselves and in their own skin. i think that’s true.

while i won’t be turning in my passport to move to the philippines anytime soon, i am thankful that it exists and is only a 3 hour flight away. i’ll be back – i didn’t even know how much i missed it.

note: one of the more sobering things about spending time in the philippines is the ubiquitous extreme poverty that exists around almost every corner. just outside of the gated community are shantytowns and just down the road are families living on top of landfills trying to scavenge for scraps to recycle just to eek out a living. i don’t mean to gloss over the meaner sides of the philippines – a place that makes the corruption in china look like elliott ness turning down bribes – but despite all that, i do like the place.

for those who are interested, we played sun valley and forest hills in antipolo. we ate at Jay-J’s, Reyes Grill and Tientisdas.