Originally posted by peterdavid@Sep 8 2005, 03:35 PM

....................Sadly, the bad outnumbers the good, and when it's bad, it's f@cking awful. And most of it is of the Philippine's own making, and they're too damn ignorant/stupid/lazy to make it better, but just expect someone else to. It's certainly no place for a child to grow up, and that is the biggest reason we won't go back, not for at least 18 years!
Oh man, you remember even more of the $hit fights than I do, and I've only been out of it properly for three years.

But the wierdest part I found was: YOU GET USED TO IT!!!!!!!! :o :( :unsure:

I actually found myself ENJOYING piloting my big yank car through five lanes of traffic on a two lane highway. Trying to pass cars coming the opposite way in my lane because they were too selfish to wait in the traffic queue in their own direction.

I actually began to enjoy going shopping on my own! Walking into stores with a stupid great $hit eating grin nailed to my face, because the slightest frown or possible look of annoyance from the 'kano' would freeze the staff into total senseless insolent robots, instead of the ever so slightly useful retards they are if you smile and grin at them like they are petulant schoolkids. Playful rejecting the household 50 amp fuse they hand you when you ask for a 5 amp automobile blade type fuse, or the can of matt green paint they hand you when you ask for gloss black, and all the time with that stupid happy grin on your face.

And should you ever raise your voice when the frustration finally gets too much??? Ohh man, that's it, enemy for life. Don't even bother thinking of going into that store again, as you're a marked man!!

We bought a vacuum cleaner from a store in Angeles City once. Took it home, tried to use it: there's no dust bag in it. So, all the way back to the store to get a dust bag. "We don't sell them sir, you have to go to Manila" Calm logical discussion followed, to try and explain that the thing they sold us does not work, so we would like a refund. Bwaaahaaahaaa. Never in a million years. It was never going to happen. They just could not understand my logic.

And therein lies the problem with the Philippines: They don't want to improve things. They are HAPPY with second best. The motto I coined when I lived there, on behalf of 'The Filipino':

SECOND BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH.