Yesterday, I was at the Evangelista public market looking for cookware and food provisions for our upcoming camping trip. Donned with shirt, shorts, and slippers to look unobtrusive, I courageously bargained for the prices of these items (I'm not the bargaining type but discovered it can be fun when I'm with my wife).
Then this morning, I was at Libertad looking for a simple crib Jo-Lo can use for his stay over the weekend, stall-hopping and bargaining with the shopkeepers.
By lunchtime I was donned in my office attire and heading off to a Power Team meeting in one of the Call Center offices in Makati. And later on I will be in a general meeting for Information Technology vendors, rubbing shoulders with industry movers.
I was in the market one time, then in corporate halls the next. Life can be so colorful sometimes. My boss once said that in our lifetime, we will be wearing many hats. It's a comparative analysis of our roles in life. A father one time, an office employee the next, a trekking enthusiast the next. But we are all of these at the same time.
Have a happy weekend everyone!
I really love my trekking hat!
ReplyDeleteflexible nick!
ReplyDeletehappy weekend!
well said watson - or i'll call you by name starting now! have a nice weekend nick!
ReplyDeletehi! nice posts! i'm bloghopping and just checking your blogsite. Keep the blogs rolling!
ReplyDeletetama yung sabi mo, nakakatuwa makita sarili mo na isang oras nasa palengke then after few hours nasa eleganteng opisina ka.
ReplyDeleteito pa, nagpunta ako sa divisoria at greenhills, karamihan mayayaman, pero ang galing tumawad, mas kuripot pa sila sa mga average na mamamayan na namimili sa SM, haha
It's got to be tough being middle class and higher here on the financial scale, and then trying to "meld" into the less fortunate among us. A lot of us Americans don't do well at that, me one OF them.
ReplyDeleteAside from that, my problem is I CAN'T be inauspicious here if I tried. They see me coming a mile away, and there is NOT much bargaining leeway from their standpoint. They assume because I'm a foreigner that I must be "rich." Understandable, but there are lot of locals that make a lot more than I do...I'm on a pension after all.
I let my "people" do my shopping. I go out and look at what's available, where it is, the description, etc., and I send someone back to get it at the "Filipino" price.
It's awkward, BUT it works! Besides, I always feel guilty about trying to save a few pennies. I can sort of handle it as long as I'm not there while it happens!
Just the same, compared to most folks round here, I certainly am pretty well off. I guess that's why I always tip so big. NOW, if I could just get the waitresses and waiters to EARN the tips!
Me too, Mr. Abbey!
ReplyDeleteHi Amie! Long time no hear!
Hello Owen!
Thanks Eu-leh
Cruise, korek ka dyan. Malamang tumataas kilay nung mga tindera kapag halatang mayaman yung bumibili hehehe
I guess most foreigners encounter that, Phil. I'm surprised that as an American, you don't get extra attention in restaurants though.
As an American, I certainly get extra attention. I almost got ran over in Tarlac City by motor trike cabs trying to be the one to give me a lift or more likely, to charge me 10 pesos more than my mother-in-law in one right behind me.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind the nickel and dime stuff like 10 pesos. I just look at it as charity to the locals. However if it is something big, like Phil, I send someone else to get the Filipino price.
Mr. Abbey, I think the tricycle drivers have more than 10 pesos in mind while rushing to transport you. :-)
ReplyDeleteI guess it's the same in other places though. Foreigners get charged higher.
Trike tip to foreigners: Ask a non trike driver how much for a trike trip to where you want to go. Add 10 pesos to it. Use a little tagalog with the driver so he knows you aren't just an ignorant tourist, even if you are. When you get out, hand over the money and tell him to keep the change. Do NOT linger! Works every time...
ReplyDeleteThere are only two or three restaurants in AC where I don't have to get up and find the waitress/waiter and ask for a refill or desert. I find it perplexing, because I base my tips on the service. If no one checks on me, I give 10 pesos. The more times a waitress checks on me the higher the tip. I tell them this continually and NO ONE LISTENS! Maddening...
ReplyDeleteOh, the best waitresses in AC are in Zapatas! It's a wonderful little Mexican style restaurant. I recommend it...
ReplyDelete