I've been here since the beginning of the week visiting family and friends. For some reason I enjoy playing pool when I'm here. Maybe it reminds me of another time and place, when every day was a nitty gritty existence trying to grind out a few dollars. The last two days were all about getting paid from my last visit. A check was waiting for me at the television station. Two days ago I went there and find out it is a "crossed" check, meaning it can only be deposited and not cashed. I asked to have it uncrossed and was told toi wait. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Finally I went back to my hotel to try again the next day. The next day the new check was ready so I go back to Makati, the Beverly Hills of Manila, full of modern high rise buildings, upscale malls, million dollar condos and home to Manila's wealthy elite. I hate to admit it, but I like it there.
So now I get my check and walk the one km to the bank, where I'm given a number. Finally it's my turn. The girl asks for my passport and tells me to have a seat. Now she brings my passport and the check to the bank manager and sets it on her desk, where it is ignored for about 15 minutes. Finally the manager picks it up and does what seems like a forensic exam, taking more than five minutes looking at the check on both sides. She now returns to the counter and they beckon me. I am asked for two other forms of ID, which I produce. Then they ask for my Philippine ID, which I don't have. I explain that I'm a free lancer with no company affiliation. More debate follows and I am asked to wait again. This bank is not quick to give up the cash! Finally they are satisfied after calling the television station to confirm that I worked for them. I have been in the bank nearly one hour, but the check is cashed. Hallelujah!
From here I will take the MRT to Quezon City. The MRT is a low cost train that traverses Manila and is usually packed to the gills. Today is no different as I squeeze in with barely room to stand. A small man is pressing against my backside, so I press back. STUPID ME! He picks my pocket! Yep you heard me right, he actually got into my velco-closed front pocket and lifted my wallet. I noticed him scamper off the train quickly at one stop and think nothing of it. When I get off I realize my front pocket is light, too light! MY wallet is gone with my credit cards, ATM card, drivers license and more. BUT NO MONEY! I carry my money loose in a separate pocket. Thank God, I have well over $1,000 on me. For the rest of the day I go about canceling the cards. The next day (today) I am contacted by a good samaritan who has found my wallet, cards all intact. There has been no activity on my cards. I'm sure the thief is disappointed to find no money in my fat wallet. This is the first time I have ever been successfully robbed, my perfect record no longer intact.
Today I play pool at a local room in Pasay. It is a friendly crowd, many who know me as the Billiard Guy. By now I have played pool all over Pasay in countless pool rooms. This time I am matched up with John-John, a boy who looks to be about 15 or 16 (he is actually 19). We will play Rotation, a game I've learned to love. It's the One Pocket of rotation games, with a lot of strategy and creativity. Many guys want to bet on John-John, so I cover all bets, 40p here, 20p there, a total of 180p on the game. I see why, JJ is good and gets lucky too, slopping in some high balls. I lose. Next game I win and soon we are betting 200p a game. I LOVE to play in places like this, one of the few Americans who does. The table is trash by our standards, so you must learn quickly how to play on it. And it is noisy and crowded with people moving around and talking while you shoot. Not for the faint of heart.
But they are all watching the game and applaud when I kick a ball in (and I mean really applaud!) or make a tricky bank. They know a good shot when they see one. In the last game, JJ is way ahead and I run seven or eight balls to get to the game ball, the 15. I miss a long cut up table and he makes a long shot to win. I'm stuck one game, but what fun I've had. In one game I am down shooting when there is a loud bang next door from the neighboring tire shop. I get up and look around. What was that I say? No response. I yell out, "I love the Philippines" and everyone laughs. Only here will I get sharked by a tire exploding.
I have to go now, it is 5:30PM and the sun is down, so it is cooling off. We will all go to the park where the kids can play. I'm a happy man.
So now I get my check and walk the one km to the bank, where I'm given a number. Finally it's my turn. The girl asks for my passport and tells me to have a seat. Now she brings my passport and the check to the bank manager and sets it on her desk, where it is ignored for about 15 minutes. Finally the manager picks it up and does what seems like a forensic exam, taking more than five minutes looking at the check on both sides. She now returns to the counter and they beckon me. I am asked for two other forms of ID, which I produce. Then they ask for my Philippine ID, which I don't have. I explain that I'm a free lancer with no company affiliation. More debate follows and I am asked to wait again. This bank is not quick to give up the cash! Finally they are satisfied after calling the television station to confirm that I worked for them. I have been in the bank nearly one hour, but the check is cashed. Hallelujah!
From here I will take the MRT to Quezon City. The MRT is a low cost train that traverses Manila and is usually packed to the gills. Today is no different as I squeeze in with barely room to stand. A small man is pressing against my backside, so I press back. STUPID ME! He picks my pocket! Yep you heard me right, he actually got into my velco-closed front pocket and lifted my wallet. I noticed him scamper off the train quickly at one stop and think nothing of it. When I get off I realize my front pocket is light, too light! MY wallet is gone with my credit cards, ATM card, drivers license and more. BUT NO MONEY! I carry my money loose in a separate pocket. Thank God, I have well over $1,000 on me. For the rest of the day I go about canceling the cards. The next day (today) I am contacted by a good samaritan who has found my wallet, cards all intact. There has been no activity on my cards. I'm sure the thief is disappointed to find no money in my fat wallet. This is the first time I have ever been successfully robbed, my perfect record no longer intact.
Today I play pool at a local room in Pasay. It is a friendly crowd, many who know me as the Billiard Guy. By now I have played pool all over Pasay in countless pool rooms. This time I am matched up with John-John, a boy who looks to be about 15 or 16 (he is actually 19). We will play Rotation, a game I've learned to love. It's the One Pocket of rotation games, with a lot of strategy and creativity. Many guys want to bet on John-John, so I cover all bets, 40p here, 20p there, a total of 180p on the game. I see why, JJ is good and gets lucky too, slopping in some high balls. I lose. Next game I win and soon we are betting 200p a game. I LOVE to play in places like this, one of the few Americans who does. The table is trash by our standards, so you must learn quickly how to play on it. And it is noisy and crowded with people moving around and talking while you shoot. Not for the faint of heart.
But they are all watching the game and applaud when I kick a ball in (and I mean really applaud!) or make a tricky bank. They know a good shot when they see one. In the last game, JJ is way ahead and I run seven or eight balls to get to the game ball, the 15. I miss a long cut up table and he makes a long shot to win. I'm stuck one game, but what fun I've had. In one game I am down shooting when there is a loud bang next door from the neighboring tire shop. I get up and look around. What was that I say? No response. I yell out, "I love the Philippines" and everyone laughs. Only here will I get sharked by a tire exploding.
I have to go now, it is 5:30PM and the sun is down, so it is cooling off. We will all go to the park where the kids can play. I'm a happy man.
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